District Eleven, NEKO
by SailorKickass270
Summary: Japan has gave up completely, and now Britannia is taking another awful step that goes past poverty, and it's called District Eleven, Home of the Nekos. This place is where Japanese people turn to avoid hunger, but they don't realize what they joined until its too late. Suzaku faces a dilemma when he is removed from Ashford, but Lelouch won't let him bare it alone. SuzakuxLelouch!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or its characters!**

**Fair Warning: This may be on the summary, but…**

**-SuzakuxLelouch pairing**

**-Possible yaoi**

**-Later chapters, some possibly messed up things x3**

**-Cat ears, tails and collars with chains O.o**

**(That last one makes my story sound dirty. But its going to be in there! xD )**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Lelouch couldn't believe it. None of it seemed real…but it was.

Britannia had taken over Japan almost 10 years ago, and the nation had showed no resistance, only fear. However, when the intrusion was fresh, there was only poverty, prejudice and hunger for the country's people, but that all drastically changed. As the years passed by, things only became more agonizing for the now named Elevens of the new Area 11. It wasn't until that one day, that Lelouch realized it.

Lelouch paused. After placing his pencil down on the desk and shifting in his seat, he propped an elbow on the flat surface and supported his head in his hand. He had only made it to question number five of the quiz and he was already uninterested, not that he previously was. When it came to school, he didn't care much for it; the exact contradictory of his childhood friend, Suzaku Kururugi.

Thinking about him made the former prince's eyes flicker to the left. On the other side of the classroom, Suzaku sat in his seat, clearly focused on his test. It was clear he was trying hard to answer correctly. He'd go from staring absorbedly at the paper, to writing, to erasing, and to staring again. It was a cycle.

The boy stood out from everyone else around him, but that was only because they were Britannian and he was an eleven, also known as Japanese. His skin was a darker shade than theirs, his hair was brown and somewhat curly, but the most noticeable thing was his eyes…at least to Lelouch.

His emerald orbs appeared to hold everything in them. His personality, his strength…the determination he always had. It was all there. And Lelouch found himself lost in them sometimes.

The raven haired boy blinked and turned away after catching his moment of admiration. That was what he told himself it was; admiration. He just _admired _Suzaku. That's all.

It wasn't until after a few more minutes of Lelouch grimacing at the test and glancing at Suzaku, did a whole team of men who were armed, possibly soldiers of Britannia, barge into the room, giving everyone an excuse to look up from their paper. Suzaku was the last one to do so, and when he noticed the men, a chill ran up his spine. Lelouch wasn't very concerned, but he did feel the atmosphere change significantly.

The obvious leader of the team causally strolled up the teacher, who almost backed up into her desk.

"Are you Mrs. Swan?" He asked with a deep, irritating voice. His face, just like the rest of his men, was covered with a helmet, so their appearances and identities remained secret.

She nodded steadfastly. "Yes…what are you doing? My class is taking a test and-"

"We have specific instructions by the Britannian government to search all school campuses-"

"Carrying around guns and weapons?" Mrs. Swan retorted crudely, narrowing her eyes.

The man scowled. "YES, carrying around guns and weapons-"

"Uh sir?" one of the smallest men of the group interrupted.

"WHAT?"

He pointed.

Right at Suzaku.

Even though the leader's face was covered, as he turned, Lelouch could almost feel the man leering.

"Get him."

Suzaku didn't even have enough time to register what was happening before they were on him. Some of the students that sat close to him gasped and jumped out of their seats as a struggle began.

Mrs. Swan stood there, her eyes wide.

Lelouch's were probably wider as he remained in his spot with a dumbfounded expression. The two men who had rushed forward to grab Suzaku seized the boy from the rear, pinned his arms behind his back and slammed him onto the desk in a restrained position.

"What the hell did I do?!"

"Shut up, eleven," called out the forerunner as he pulled out two pictures from his uniform. He looked from one of the photos to Suzaku, and then repeated it once more. "That's him alright. But we've been informed that we must rid all elevens of Ashford." He turned to Mrs. Swan. "Is there anymore Japanese scum running around here? If so, you're going to have to tell us what class they are in."

The woman was conspicuous now, but it was hard to tell what exactly it was she was frustrated about. She crossed her arms. "Our school is scum free. I don't understand your prejudice feelings, and I'd like for you to ask your little men to stop holding that boy in such a manner!"

Half way through Mrs. Swan's quick speech, the man seemed to lose attentiveness as he looked at the pictures in his hands once more. He scanned the classroom, and Lelouch felt the hidden eyes land on him and stay there. It left the Britannian boy feeling very uncomfortable.

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Swan inquired.

She was ignored and the man walked forward, heading in Lelouch's direction. He had no idea why he'd be wanted by the Britannian government and he silently prayed that the soldier would pass him by. That didn't happen. Right in front of Lelouch's table; he stopped.

"Lelouch…Vi Britannia?"

At the mention of the name, students and even the teacher suddenly seemed to be observing him in a different way than before. To begin with, he was nothing more than another student who attended Ashford, but now, they saw him as pure royalty and carried an expression of awe.

In the corner of his eye, Lelouch caught Suzaku who had managed to turn a little in his friend's direction. He was scarcely shaking his head slowly.

Lelouch peered at the soldier. "Actually, it's Lamperouge. People say I have a similar appearance to the prince, but I'm not him…"

"You are…now get up. We'll be leaving-"

Mrs. Swan intervened once again. "You can't just march in here and take two of my students! It may be under the government's instructions, but I believe that I at least deserve a good explanation for this."

The man turned to the teacher, his movements full of assertiveness. "Elevens no longer have a right to education. All schools are to be wiped clean of any scum. It's government's decision. Nothing you say or do can change that. And him," a gloved index finger pointed at Lelouch. "He knows who he is. Under the request of the royal family of Britannia, he is to be brought back from Ashford. Your services are no longer needed."

The rest of the words spoken went in one ear and out the other. Lelouch couldn't help but notice the defeated look on Suzaku's face. He wasn't usually like that. Did he know something that Lelouch didn't?

The former prince stood up, slamming his hands on the table, startling close by students and causing all attention to go to him. "I'm staying here! And so is Suzaku. I…I am Lelouch Vi Britannia and I have command over you! You're meant to serve those above you."

The soldier glanced at his men and then back at Lelouch, and before he knew it, the whole team was bursting with laughter; even the two who kept Suzaku at bay were cracking up.

What was so amusing?

Everyone in the classroom, even Mrs. Swan seemed baffled.

After the fit of cackles ceased, the soldier looked at Lelouch. "Orders came from someone above you; therefore, your say in it is as useless as mine, or a better example would be as useless as your friend over there." He lunged forward and took a firm grasp of Lelouch's arm.

"HEY!"

"Don't hurt him!" Mrs. Swan shrieked.

The man yanked Lelouch, pulling him away from the table and starting towards the door. "I'm not going to hurt this princess, don't you worry." The struggling that the raven haired boy attempted didn't seem to be doing much. His ratio to this man was probably a giant and a little girl.

The little girl being him, of course.

Without even needing to be told, the rest of the team followed, dragging Suzaku along with them.

Mrs. Swan and the other students watched in silence, not realizing the things that were now set in stone for the two abducted boys.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN. Mrs. Swan doesn't know and neither do you ;) I hope you want to find out! :D**

**Now I know the title is a little bit weird, especially for a drama/suspense fanfiction, but later into the chapters, you'll understand where the name came from: 3 if you choose to follow that is. Reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Pft980811: Well…! My non-existing nuts are hopefully safe from you xD and thank you for being my first reviewer! :D makes me happy! Even though you threatened the nuts that I do not have x3**

**LeAwesomeOne IX: My second reviewer xD you'll find out ;) and I didn't plan on Lelouch being one, but I just may try doing that since you reviewed :3**

**Yuzuki Inohara and Guest: You two….guess what? I updated! :o**

**No way!**

**Yes way.**

**Okay let's be serious now x3**

* * *

Neither of the boys had given anymore resistance to the soldiers after leaving Mrs. Swan's class. Lelouch noticed how calm and composed Suzaku was compared to his earlier struggling, and so he eventually realized that was no point, and stopped.

Outside the gates of Ashford, they were greeted by three burnished, identical, black cars, all parked in a line. And they were led to the first one, and pushed into the back.

Just before the door was closed, the leading solider pulled off his helmet and Lelouch was surprised to see a young looking face. He had a malicious smirk formed on his lips, faded blue eyes that almost made him look bored, and a dirty blond sort of hair color.

"By the way," he murmured as he held the headwear to his chest and bowed his head. "It's an honor to meet another child of his majesty. The name is Rory."

There was a pause as if he was waiting for a reply, but one never came. Lelouch only glared indifferently at the young man before him, his eyes narrowed, and his fists balled in his lap.

Rory's blue orbs flickered assertively, and he spun on his heels and walked out of Lelouch's sight. "Royalty pisses me off," he said under his breath, though it was loud enough for Lelouch to catch. "Don't move; my men are watching you both."

Lelouch allowed a few seconds to go by and then turned towards his friend beside him. Unlike him, the door on Suzaku's side was shut and he had his head leaning on the window with a frown on his face.

"Suzaku…?"

The brown haired boy glanced sideways. "Don't speak to me," he said nonchalantly. "I don't want you to get in trouble or get involved."

Lelouch stared and said in a lowered voice, "What are you…?"

"Be quiet," Suzaku warned.

When that advice reached his ears, Lelouch figured it be best for the both of them if he just didn't argue. His mouth was slightly opened because he had so many questions on the tip of his tongue, but he closed it shut and looked away from his friend instead.

What was going on?

Apparently, his family had called for him. But why would they do that? He had been in Ashford for so long, had been hidden, and nobody cared, yet now, he was suddenly wanted? And what was up with Suzaku? What did they plan to do with him?

* * *

Lelouch stared out the window, intrigued by the sight before him. Unknown to him until now, the Tokyo Settlement had been categorized into two parts. One was just the Tokyo Settlement, nothing new about it since the years had passed. Elevens were in poverty, just barely getting by with small jobs and under-the-book payments. A lot of the buildings were destroyed, so they lived outside in tents as if they were camping with only a bonfire as a source of heat. When Lelouch compared it to himself; he actually realized how much he had. But then again, these people were never born with nothing; they were forced into this kind of living because of Britannia. Oh how his own country sickened him.

Suzaku wasn't too absorbed or surprised, but when they got into the second half of the once used-to-be Tokyo; their eyes grew wide, they pressed against their windows and even Lelouch's jaw dropped a little bit.

Rory, who had been sitting shotgun, noticed both of the boys' expressions through the review mirror and smirked. "Isn't it beautiful? This is District Eleven. Britannia isn't as heartless as you thought huh? They actually built this area to help Elevens get jobs for money."

Lelouch had seen Tokyo before it was destroyed, and boy, was that place breath-taking. The same thing went for District Eleven as well; the buildings, the streets which were littered with people…

The prince's eyes squinted in puzzlement.

Was he really seeing what he thought he was seeing?

A Japanese girl had a lowered head as she appeared to be following a man, a Britannian man. She wore blue cat ears, a tail and even had a collar around her neck.

_What was that for?_

When Lelouch glanced at his friend, ready to ask a question, they met each other's eyes.

Suzaku had seen it too, and he seemed just as bewildered about it as he was.

"Excuse me?" Lelouch asked.

Rory didn't turn around. "What?"

"Why was that girl we passed by wearing cat ears and a tail? Is that a job or something?"

The soldier was taken aback by the inquiry, but after a few seconds of silence, he regained composure. "It is. One of the most…popular jobs, actually."

Lelouch did not understand what made dressing up as a cat and following a man around a decent or good job. In fact, the job seemed a bit 'out of this world', to the raven-haired boy. He never thought doing such weird things would become a profession.

Now that he looked out the window, he realized how accurate Rory was. The streets weren't all that full, but for the most part, majority of them were Elevens, dressed up as a cat and accompanying a Britannian man or woman. Ages seemed to range from 10 or 11 year olds to middle aged women and men. This "occupation" really was popular. Did the Japanese people have no other choice?

The car stopped. It was parked in front of a very tall building with red lights, which were barely noticeable due to the daylight. In big letters; "N.E.K.O" was slapped across the front.

What kind of name was that?

"Why are we stopping here?" Suzaku inquired.

"We're just dropping you off," Rory muttered as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Just as he finished his sentence, as if it were a cue, Suzaku's door was opened. It was one of the soldiers from the second car. He reached in, grabbed the brown-haired boy by the arms and wrenched him out.

Even though Lelouch knew his attempt wouldn't do a thing, he unconsciously lunged forward to try and get a hold of his friend, but Rory turned in his seat and grasped a fistful of Lelouch's uniform.

"Oh, no you don't, your majesty," the dirty blond said mockingly. "You're staying here."

The soldier who held the un-struggling Suzaku, slammed the door shut, and the driver quickly locked the door. Lelouch wouldn't be getting out anytime soon.

"Where are you taking him?" Lelouch demanded.

Rory released the boy's shirt. "He's going to go get a job. You both should be grateful we're doing this. He no longer has a right to education." He sat back down in his seat, facing forward. "From what we know, he's got nobody to go to. Might as well give him on of the best jobs around; he'll get food, water and a roof over his head. Better than us just dropping him off in that dump area full of Elevens who haven't bathed in God knows how long."

"You're giving him that cat job?"

Rory nodded. "Though, depending on who buys him, it may be more than wearing cat costumes…"

The car was moving once again.

Lelouch peered back. He couldn't see Suzaku, and that other black car wasn't following behind like before. They must have taken him inside that "N.E.K.O" building.

The Britannian prince sat back in his seat appropriately, and silently swore to himself that he'd come back for Suzaku. Right now, there wasn't much he could do. Suzaku would just have to endure.

* * *

Suzaku didn't resist being pulled into the N.E.K.O building by the soldier. Where ever he was going, all he could hope was that Lelouch was going to a better, safer place. He didn't want his childhood friend to be tangled up in anything dangerous because he was associated with an Eleven like him.

Though on the inside, Suzaku wanted to so badly protest how wrong Britannia is in disgracing his country and people, wanted to fight back, right now he had to just go with the flow.

The sliding door opened automatically and the strong smell of makeup and perfume stunned Suzaku for a second, but he recovers from it swiftly. They walked down a maroon carpet that rolled throughout a long corridor. In the distance, Suzaku could see two people. One was a young looking boy who sat behind a desk, and a small girl who sat on top of the desk, her legs crossed and her eyes fixated on the little phone in her hands.

The male was obviously Britannian; he had light-colored hair, dark, quiet pupils which were looking down at a clipboard full of papers. The girl too, was Britannian with pink hair.

When Suzaku and the soldier approached them, they looked up in unison.

"You know what to do," the Britannian soldier murmured.

The girl lifted up her phone and a clicking noise could be heard as she snapped a photograph of Suzaku. She thrust the machine in front of the boy's face. "Look Rolo, it's one of my best pictures yet."

Rolo nodded. "Well that's nice, Anya," he said aloofly as he took in Suzaku's presence for the first time by acquiring eye contact. "What's your name?"

After a pause of hesitation, the Japanese boy finally answered softly, "Suzaku Kururugi…"

Rolo jotted something down on the paper in front of him, and then looked at the soldier. "We can get the rest done without your assistance."

The man nodded, released his grip on Suzaku and walked back down the hallway.

"Anya, you wait here in case anybody else comes in, okay?"

The girl bobbed her head slowly in response, appearing to be in a daze with her phone as the light from it illuminated her face and her eyes. Rolo looked at Suzaku.

"Follow me."

* * *

Suzaku trailed Rolo into an elevator and went up to the apparent 31st floor out of 50. When the door opened, it revealed a long, maroon corridor just like the entrance, and the Japanese boy immediately assumed that each floor was just like this. Doors were on each side, and it wasn't until they were at the very end of the hall, that they finally stopped at one.

"This one isn't occupied," Rolo said, probably more to himself than to Suzaku.

The younger male turned and it felt like he was actually 'looking' at Suzaku, not just glancing. However, it gave the emerald-eyed male a chill when Rolo's eyes went up and down as if he were checking Suzaku out. But that wasn't what he was doing…_at least he hoped._

Rolo now gave a piercing, serious stare that burned into the other.

"If I were you, I'd be very careful. You're a bit over average."

Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "What?"

As if being waved off, Rolo pulled out an entire chain of keys and for some reason, knew which one apparently went with that door because it didn't take him long to unlock it.

"You first…" Rolo murmured.

Suzaku peered inside the room cautiously before walking into it, and he noticed the room was empty beside a wardrobe in the corner, another door a few feet from the wardrobe and a table that was plagued with makeup, and a small mirror.

The Japanese boy looked back at Rolo who still stood in the doorway, observing him.

"What is this?"

Rolo frowned. "That's not for me to tell you. I'm just supposed to deceive you, and that's all."

"Deceive me?"

The small boy nodded. "Yes. Like I said before; you should be careful. I think you'll be very popular soon enough. I wish you good luck." And with that conclusion, Rolo slammed the door shut and locked the door.

Because of the thoughts that ran through Suzaku's mind, he caught up too late and it was locked before he even had a chance to turn the knob. He banged on the door. "Rolo! Let me out of here RIGHT NOW! ROLO!"

"Someone will be with you shortly to get you ready," he said from the other side, his voice coming out slightly muffled.

"Get me ready for what?" Suzaku questioned impatiently.

Rolo sighed. "You really don't know?"

"No…"

The Britannian boy pursed his lip. For the first time ever, he felt bad for doing this.

What was it that made Suzaku different from all the other Elevens he had locked up in a room?

"You've got such an innocent mind, Suzaku," Rolo said, forcing his feet to walk off. "I pity you."

As he heard the footsteps fading, the brown-haired boy slid down to the floor.

* * *

**Sorry if there's any weird mistakes, I was in a rush to update because of your reviews xD And thank you again for reviewing! :3 Please consider reviewing this chapter too! I love reading comments :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**AGREED! It's a deal LeAwesomeOne (freaking love your name) xD and yes, I love reviews and like getting feedback rather than people following without saying anything so you doing that made me consider :D**

**And Jaden, like I said before: THE JAPANESE PEOPLE ARE NOT PROSTSITUTES! You're calling Suzaku a prostitute and I told him, so now he's currently hunting you down in his Lancelot. Dun dun dun. No escapeeeee (says Dory)**

**Nah, I'm kidding. He's still locked in that room. How dare you, Rolo! I still love you though! **

**Pft….don't hurt my ovaries. I need them. I'm just leaving cliffhangers to keep you hooked on my story ;P Sorry, but that's how I roll xD Will there be a cliffhanger here? **

**Nobody knows :o**

**Suzaku and Lelouch know :P**

**But you don't ;)**

**Another chapter is here though!**

**Let's continue :D**

* * *

When the car stopped, Lelouch peered out the window and was greeted by a big, fancy mansion. It appeared to have some substantial security because the gates were steel, and brick walls enclosed the mansion in like a defensive border. He expected it to look familiar; he had lived in one before, but his time at Ashford must have wiped his mind clean of the past. Or had he done that himself?

Just like he had as they departed from N.E.K.O, Lelouch glanced out the back window once more. The ride had been a long one so he figured they were far from District Eleven, and what was worse, Lelouch realized that he was so engrossed on trying to plan out how he was going to save his friend, that he didn't watch his surroundings. He didn't know the way to get back…

If he didn't know that, his rescue attempt would not go very far.

Rory and the driver shared a look, and the soldier turned around in his seat, a smile on his face.

"Welcome home, princess," the blond said, his eyes shining mockingly as if he hoped to piss Lelouch off.

"Stop calling me that," was the retort from the younger boy.

Before the first word even came out, Rory was exiting out the car. "Didn't hear you," he lampooned as he opened the door for Lelouch. "You need to speak up, princess."

The raven haired boy ignored it that time. Rory was just trying to make him irritated.

* * *

Lelouch took in the elaborate interior of the mansion, but was not as intrigued once memories of his past started to come back to him. He shouldn't have been impressed; he had lived in a place like this before, it should feel normal to him.

The front lawn; full of beautifully trimmed hedges that were shaped like animals, and on the edges of the sidewalk, flowers were lined there. Some were purple, others were pink or white.

When they rang the doorbell, it ringed so piercingly, Lelouch couldn't even hear himself think. But considering the size of the place; it was probably best to have it so loud.

Rory and Lelouch were greeted by two maids, and the prince couldn't help but gawk at them. He silently looked at each of the signs. Both of the female maids not only wore black and white dresses, but had on cat ears, a collar, and a tail. And neither of them was Britannian. They were Japanese.

So the infamous District Eleven custom had made its way into the royal family, too?

As Lelouch pushed his thoughts away, he broke half way through Rory's sentence, only catching the last half.

"…wondering if Emperor Charles is here?"

Both the maids looked at one another before the smaller woman said, "I'm afraid he's not-"

"Lelouch?!" A voice called out.

Everyone, including the prince, was surprised by the sudden excited shriek and turned to see a girl, just about Lelouch's age, at the end of the corridor.

She had long, pink hair, blue eyes and bore a white dress and an open-mouthed smile. It didn't take long for Lelouch to recognize who she was.

The girl firmly seized the ends of her dress and came running down the hall, her heels clicking and clattering as they hit the floor. She slowed down as she got closer and eventually stopped, releasing her dress and clasping her hands together in front of her. "I can't believe it's you!"

Lelouch forged a beamed. "Neither can I."

Euphy regarded Rory. "I see you made it through with father's orders, just like you always do. Thank you so much! I can take Lelouch from here," she said.

"Understood," Rory replied stiffly, bowing his head and turning to leave. Euphy nodded at the two maids; they bowed as well and hurriedly scampered off to see the soldier on his way.

The half-siblings watched until the large door was shut, leaving them alone.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Euphemia cried once more, louder this time as she threw herself at her relative.

"Gah!"

Lelouch was captured in the girl's tight and informal hug, but he didn't try to fight it. Instead, he just smiled, and returned the embrace.

When they pulled away, Euphemia looked up at him, her eyes full of curiosity as if she had so many unanswered questions. "We haven't seen each other since you left. I heard you went to the Kururugi family. How were they? Were they nice to you? Did you like them?" She looked him over. "Wow, you've grown!"

Lelouch didn't feel like answering any of those questions. The mention of the Kururugi family caused reality to slap him across the face. He couldn't forget that Suzaku needed him.

If N.E.K.O and those maids were connected…then did Euphemia know something about it?

"Euphy."

"Hmm?" She hummed.

"I need to talk to you privately."

* * *

Euphemia and Lelouch sat in the dining room, across from each other. This apparently was the most unused room during the day, so they decided to talk in there.

The room was huge, and the table was like the ones you'd see in moves, long with so many chairs as if they were a family with more than the average amount of people. Even though Emperor Charles had so many wives and probably more children than Lelouch knew, it's not like he'd actually sit down with all of them together and feast. He just wasn't that good of a man.

"Are you sure nobody can hear us?" Lelouch inquired. "I feel like our voices echo in here…"

"It's fine," Euphy said, waving him off. "Now what were you going to tell me?"

The raven haired boy looked back at the closed door and then inched closer to his half-sister. "You know those two maids I seen earlier, the ones with the cat accessories?"

The princess nodded. "What about them?"

"They were hired from that N.E.K.O place, weren't they?"

Euphy tittered a little. "Not hired. They were brought. They're our property now."

Lelouch paused and stared at the girl, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Had she just called those living and breathing human-beings property, or did he not hear her correctly?

"Our property…?" He repeated quietly. "Euphy…that's wrong!"

She flinched. "I know it is, believe me. But I've tried talking to father…he's not going to change anything. Schneizel says we might as well go along with it so…"

"My friend is in that place."

Euphemia gaped at him. "In N.E.K.O?"

"Yes…" Lelouch grabbed his half-sibling's smaller hands in his own and looked into her blue eyes pleadingly. "That's why I want to know about it. How I can get him out of there, what they do and what they may do to him. Whatever knowledge you have about N.E.K.O, I need you to tell me."

The pink haired princess frowned. There were still questions of her own that she wanted Lelouch to explain to her, but the look on his face, the desperation, was overwhelming. Whoever this person was, he obviously cared deeply for them. This was very urgent to him.

She sighed, and gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. "Okay, I'll tell you what I know."

* * *

Suzaku had been sitting and waiting for what felt like hours until finally, he turned his head towards the door as it was pushed open slowly. A woman with short, dark blue hair came in, and she scanned the room 'til her eyes met Suzaku, who was sitting on the maroon carpet floor.

She was dressed up in expensive looking jeans, a nice, long-sleeved shirt and a scarf that wrapped around her neck, even though it was far from cold inside and outside. She smiled at him, closed the door behind her and causally made her way to him.

Suzaku remained silent as she got to her knees beside him and caressed his face. Then she squeezed his cheek. "AREN'T YOU JUST ADORABLE?" She bellowed excitedly, pinching harder and tugging a bit.

The boy was surprised by her outburst, but didn't resist the cheek assault. He took the pain with one eye closed and gritted teeth as the area around his face begin to grow peachy red.

She gave one more yank before letting go and stood up. "I'm going to make you ten times cuter than you already are," she declared, and then added, "if that's possible."

A hand was extended out towards Suzaku and he stared at it, his mind racing and debating.

"No need to be scared," the woman said pleasantly. "I'm not prejudice at all. You can trust me. What's your name?" A long, hushed pause; Suzaku refused to open his mouth. "I'm Cecile," she said with a smile.

The Japanese boy blinked. He hadn't expected such a nice woman to walk into his room. He reached up and grabbed her hand. "I'm Suzaku," he answered softly as she pulled him to his feet with amazing strength. "What are you here for…?"

Cecile patted his head. "I'm here to make you all cute and adorable! I'm your stylist! My job is to make sure you look stunning for the auction. I'll do my best because, trust me, you don't want to be here longer than you have to." She glanced at him and noticed his expression. "What's wrong?"

Suzaku's eyes were wide. "What do you mean auction?!"

* * *

**HoHoHo! Cliffie? ;D **

**Actually this one was unintentional, it's just going on 8 and I still have homework XD but yeah. I bet my ovaries are in real danger now O.o**

**My amazing reviewers! My purties. Review! :D**

**And LeAwesome, I thought about it, and I know where Neko Lulu is going to come in, but it may be a couple of chapters from now, just letting you know :3**

**And there may…**

**Be…some….**

**Yaaaaaaoi**

**GAH SPOLIER!**

**During that part… **

**Too ;3**

**And last note: I don't know if its Euphy or Euphie, but I saw Euphy in the subbed version of Code Geass, so I'm using Euphy .-.**


	4. Chapter 4

**XDDD gosh! Okay, explanation time! They are…and aren't prostitutes. It's hard to explain what my mind is thinking, but I'll try. When I think of prostitutes…they are people who do things for money WILLINGLY. I can see where you guys would think that. But it's very unintentional… XD they don't go to N.E.K.O thinking, "oh I'm going to be a prostitute, sell my body to Britannians and get lots of money!" It's more like, "I heard N.E.K.O is offering jobs for Elevens and we could actually make enough money to feed our families. I'm going to go take advantage of this and be completely unaware of the fact that I'll end up in Suzaku's current position!" :D **

**If you still don't get it, you'll see the difference in the unwillingly and willing Elevens soon. A character will be introduced, and SHE is what I call a prostitute. ;P**

**There's no point boring you guys with too much explaining when we have Euphemia!**

**So JUST READ!**

**And your questions about Kallen and Rory's appearances? SHHHH! Classified information ;P**

**JUST READ!**

* * *

As Suzaku was beautified by Cecile, he came to his own conclusion. He was going to run for it.

Even though he had not the slightest clue as to where he would go, it was obvious enough that it was better than staying here. His stylist had clarified everything for him, and there was no way he was going to allow this place to sell him to some rich Britannian in need of a butler. Suzaku would rather starve.

The stylist moved from behind Suzaku to face him, a smile forming on her face. She put the black comb she had been using down on a nearby table.

"Again, another successful and gorgeous neko; you look so cute!" Cecile inquired optimistically, as she grabbed the Japanese boy by the arm, pulling him out of the seat and dragging him to the mirror across the room. "What do you think?"

Suzaku gawked at himself, or more like his reflection. This person didn't seem to be him. He looked so…different. So…not Suzaku Kururugi.

On top of his head sat a brown headband with cat ears; the band itself was brown, camouflaging into his hair color, but the ears were black. (Cecile claimed making it look realistic was better.) The little pink that had been added to his cheeks made them appear flushed as if he were blushing. Though kimonos were a tradition of the Japanese people, he didn't like the one he was currently wearing. His was black, and the insides of the sleeves were white, but that wasn't what was bothering him. What disturbed him was how low cut it was, and how much of his chest showed. Luckily, it stopped around his stomach area, but he was still troubled by it; he didn't wear kimonos this low in his earlier years.

And last was the tail; completely black, and then white on the end. Cecile had used who knows how many safety pins to clip it to the back of the kimono, and then had wasted what felt like 10 minutes to decide whether it looked cuter straight, curled or a somewhat combination of both. She probed Suzaku for his input and he'd reply with, "I don't care," or "doesn't matter," until finally he snapped, "Yes! That's fine!" And so his tail had a slight curl upward.

He caught Cecile, who stood behind him; smile even wider than before as she waited for his answer.

"I definitely look like…something," Suzaku said tediously.

The stylist was unsure as to whether that was a compliment or not, but she smirked anyway. "Good!" She rolled back her sleeve to glance at a silver watch. "It's almost time for the auction, too!"

A chill slithered down Suzaku's spine. They were really going to sell him, weren't they? How disgusting. And for a second, while driving through District Eleven earlier, he thought Britannia was actually trying to help his people. That wasn't the case, though. It was false hope. They would come here, looking for a job only to end up in the situation Suzaku currently found himself in.

From the mirror, he stared at Cecile, and it didn't take long for her to realize it.

"What's wrong? You look kind of pale," the woman said casually.

"Why do you work here…especially when you know where you're sending us?" When she didn't reply right away, he added, "I mean…you said you're not prejudice…but this place…is."

The blue-haired stylist frowned. "I worked as a subordinate of somebody…under the Britannian government. I was ordered to work here." She looked down as if she were ashamed. "It's not something I'm really proud of doing, but I have no choice."

Suzaku watched her silently, lacking the ability to reply.

"But you know what?" Cecile murmured, raising her head to catch Suzaku's gaze. "One good thing that comes out of working here…is being able to meet all these wonderful people; like you." She then smiled, and the brown-haired boy found it so contagious, that he couldn't help but smile back.

A long, ear-piercing ring sounded from somewhere, filling the room, and Cecile winced.

"What does that mean?" Suzaku asked, after it ended.

The stylist grew serious. "It means it's time for the auction."

* * *

Lelouch sat quietly and listened. He questioned Euphy when he was confused, and he kept silent as she talked, taking his own mental notes.

"N.E.K.O was built for the filthy rich of Britannia to purchase their own butlers and maids, since our country lacked them so much…or that's what Schneizel told me."

The raven-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "What about the cat accessories?"

Euphy leaned forward in her chair and whispered, "I heard it's supposed to represent them as being pets…you know, like below an actual human being. I believe they tried to make N.E.K.O seem like some sort of pet store; except you're not buying a pet."

"And what about Suzaku, are they selling him too?"

"…I would think so-"

"Then we have to go there."

Lelouch was out of his seat now, and he impatiently yanked his half-sister to her feet. He didn't forget the fact that he had no idea how to get to N.E.K.O from here, but maybe Euphy did. Hopefully she did.

As he turned around to head for the door, he stopped…and glared.

Standing in the doorway of the dining room with a smug look on his face; was Schneizel, one of Lelouch's many half-siblings. He had the traditional wear of a Britannian prince on, and because it was white, Lelouch almost wished he had a colored drink to spill on it.

"What do you want?" He asked the blond.

Schneizel blinked. "I just heard your voice and followed it to confirm my suspicions. Not my fault that nobody told me my dear little brother was visiting today." He glanced at Euphemia. "And greetings to you, little sister."

The pink-haired girl stared at him with a straight face. "So you heard what we were talking about?"

"As a matter of fact, I did…not that I'm concerned. I'm quite glad Lelouch is taking interest in getting his own maid. They do indeed have some gorgeous women…" he trailed off, a mysterious glint in his eyes.

Lelouch felt repulsed by that statement, but as those words stuck to his skull, an idea popped into his head. He allowed his face to brighten up a bit. "You're right, brother. I do want my own..."

Euphemia was nearly caught off guard by her half-brother's out of the blue change, but when she heard the tone of his voice, she knew he was faking it.

Whether Schneizel really bought it or not, neither of them could tell, but he smiled. "Is that so? Well then how about we go there and get you one? I'm sure our father wouldn't mind if we purchased some more Elevens to…" he paused as if carefully thinking his next words, "…clean around here…"

After that, he was out of the room.

Euphy growled. "He is so revolting!"

Lelouch turned to face the girl. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing…"

* * *

After a very long walk, Cecile and Suzaku finally made it to a room which was pretty occupied. There were maybe 20 other Japanese people in there, each one dressed up similarly to Suzaku. Not all of them had kimonos, but they all had the cat ears and tail. Everyone was stone-faced, not that it was much of a surprise. Across the room, Rolo and a man with silver hair and glasses stood by a doorway that was covered by maroon curtains. Cecile motioned Suzaku to follow her as she walked over to them.

"Well if it isn't Ms. Cecile!" The man greeted giddily. He looked at Suzaku. "And this is your latest work, not bad, not bad at all!"

The stylist smiled somewhat. "Thank you, Lloyd…"

Rolo eyed the brown-haired boy the same way he had before, and then scanned over the clipboard in his hand, flipping through papers. "You'll be number seven, Kururugi."

"What's it for?"

The tall man, Lloyd, turned to him. "They'll be calling out numbers and when they call yours, you'll be heading out on stage."

Suzaku's emerald eyes became large and alert. "Stage?!"

Cecile nodded. "Don't worry; you won't have to say anything-"

"Unless you're told to," Rolo interrupted.

"Yes…" Cecile huffed. "But usually you don't. I've went over this with you. It'll be fine."

The Japanese boy sighed. "Okay…"

"LLOYD! ANYA AND I ARE DONE!" A voice bellowed excitedly from behind Suzaku.

Everybody, including him, turned to see Anya, her eyes on her phone intently as expected, and a woman who seemed just barely older than Suzaku, standing in the entrance.

She had long, black hair that flowed down her back, a somewhat pale, white skin that complimented her and dark eyes that seemed to sparkle from a distance. She had a red kimono on; it opened a bit in the front, exposing a little of her legs. Hers was also low cut, and exposed more cleavage than it should have. In her hair, sat a red flower, and in her left hand, a sheathed sword. She had a wicked smile on her face and an expression full of arrogance.

Cecile patted Lloyd on the shoulder. "Kiki looks beautiful! I've taught you well…"

The man chuckled. "She picked out most of the outfit, I only picked the kimono."

Suzaku felt the atmosphere change and little bit as the girl in the red kimono laid eyes on him. He didn't like the look she was giving him. It was a worse feeling than being checked out by Rolo.

Anya was running over now, and she stopped in front of the boy, and held up the phone to his face. "Look, Rolo, I took lots of pictures of Kiki. What do you think?"

"They're very nice," he replied aloofly.

Kiki pointed at Suzaku. "HEY, YOU WITH THE CURLY HAIR!" When she grabbed his attention completely, she gestured for him to come over. Though hesitant at first, he did. When he was close enough, he was smacked in the face by a strong scent of orange-smelling perfume, and it took a lot of his strength not to start coughing, but he managed to look unaffected by it.

"Yes?" He inquired softly.

The corner of her lips rose into a smile. "What's your name?"

"…Suzaku Kururugi."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Suzaku!" She exclaimed, taking his hand in her free one and shaking it. "I'm Kiki Motosuwa, but everyone calls me the Cat Woman, so you can too!"

His emerald eyes blinked in confusion. Her last name was obviously Japanese…so she isn't Britannian?

"Why do they call you that?"

She giggled. "My job, that's why. I work here as the…female entertainer."

Suzaku pulled his hand from hers, feeling nauseated. He had a feeling that she meant, what he thought she meant. "Oh…why don't you run away?"

Kiki tilted her head to the side. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"…They didn't force you into it?"

"No…"

"Suzaku!" Cecile called. "You're next up!"

The Japanese boy quickly turned around to head back to the stylist when he was stopped by Kiki who grabbed his wrist. "Wait! If you become my partner, you don't have to ever be owned by anyone. There's still an opening for a male entertainer…"

"I'd rather not," he retorted, pulling himself free and walking over to Cecile and the others.

For certain now, Suzaku was getting out of this place. Everything about it made him sick.

* * *

**And the chapter comes to an end! :D This was so painful to write. I had the worst writer's block ever and kept going from staring at the ceiling, to writing, staring at the ceiling, to writing Dx **

**Maybe I'll get the next chapter up faster. Don't forget to review! I'm tired. Ugh.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning: (dun dun DUN!) A little violence? (its not really bad though) And no Suzaku Kururugi's were harmed during the making of this chapter ;)**

**Also don't mind my mistakes…It was late and I was sleepy and lazy x3**

* * *

Suzaku took a step back and eyed the object in Kiki's hand with the repugnance.

The two were both behind the maroon curtains of the stage just outside the waiting room. It turns out that the female entertainer gets to introduce the newest members and Suzaku just so happened to be one of them. A pro to this; he figured that he wouldn't have to say anything; though that was the least of his problems. And for the cons; Suzaku could probably write a whole page of them.

Kiki inched towards him, holding the black collar up with annoyance. "Wearing this is mandatory."

"Like I give a damn; I am not a pet!" The Japanese boy retorted, his pea green eyes narrowed and his facial features became dead-serious. "I'm a person and we don't wear those."

She sighed heavily. "In here, you are, you're not, and you do. Don't you get that we no longer have basic rights anymore? You're Japanese! We're nothing but pets now. Embrace it, Kururugi."

He stared at her in silence as he weighed his options.

* * *

Lelouch froze in his tracks in front of the building, looking it up and down. This was definitely the place. With the sky darkening, the huge letters that spelled out N.E.K.O were now starting to glow a dainty red color. And as he looked around, he realized how bright the District was. That majority of the area was engulfed in colors. It reminded him of the pictures he had seen of Tokyo, but that's not what was important. Now he'd be able to rescue Suzaku from this place. It had only been a couple of hours since they had last seen each other, but it felt more like days.

"Are you alright?" Euphemia's voice piped.

The raven-haired boy blinked and turned to see Euphy and Schneizel standing at the entrance, both dressed in white, noble wear. Lelouch too, was cladded in expensive clothing. This was because Schneizel said that no matter where they went, even if it was just an auction, presentation and first impressions of the royal family were vital.

He nodded. "Yeah…"

Schneizel sneered, and started walking as the automatic doors slid open at his presence. "Then we should hurry. We're already late as it is; the auction started about ten minutes ago."

The two younger half-siblings hurried to catch up with the blond man.

As they assembled down a lengthy corridor with maroon walls, Lelouch glanced all around with curiosity in contradiction to Euphy and Schneizel who appeared to be used to the surroundings since they had been there before.

It wasn't long until they made it to the end and as they approached, Lelouch could see two figures sitting on top of a desk. One was a male; a light chestnut-like hair color and a clipboard in his lap. He seemed very laid-back and somewhat tired. The girl had pink hair in tied back in a bun; she had her back facing the boy, and she was leaning on him with a phone in her hand. Her eyes were glued to it intently.

Lelouch also took notice in the fact that both of them were wearing kimonos even though it was obvious neither of them were Japanese. It didn't quite fit them.

"Rolo!" Schneizel greeted enthusiastically, causing the boy to jump a little and look up. The clipboard even almost fell from his lap, but he lunged for it just in time.

"Y-your majesty," the younger male uttered, elbowing the female and whispering, "Anya, put that away." The pink haired girl did as she was told silently and scooted into a sitting position side by side with Rolo. "Your majesty," Anya murmured as she lowered her head in respect.

After straightening up, Rolo inquired, "Are you here for the auction, your majesty?"

"Prince Schneizel is just fine," the older man scoffed. "And we are, but we were late for many reasons."

As this conversation had been going on, Lelouch was biting his bottom lip with anticipation. Though nothing but a minute or two had went by, he felt like time was ticking away. If they didn't get there in time, Suzaku would end up in a bad situation. Not that he wasn't already in one.

Euphemia caught Lelouch's anxious expression and after a little thought, inhaled deeply and wordlessly prayed for forgiveness for saying what she was about to say. "Schneizel, we should hurry up and go…or else…or else all the good-looking Elevens will be bought already!"

Lelouch gawked, taken aback by the inconsiderate statement.

The blue eyes of the Blond Prince flickered to his younger half-sister, with a glint of astonishment. "I never thought I'd hear you say such a thing…" as he trailed off, he grinned wickedly and then turned back to Rolo and Anya. "It'd be nice if you'd take us to the auction."

The small male appeared to ponder for a few seconds and then concluded, "Well, you are part of the royal family of Britannia…we can make exceptions for that." He readjusted his kimono a little before pushing himself off of the desk. "Do you want to come, Anya?"

The girl's lips tightened a little, and then she nodded and jumped off, moving to Rolo's side. The two started down another corridor and the three royal members of Britannia followed.

"What's with the kimonos anyway?" Schneizel probed, raising an eyebrow as they walked.

Rolo heaved an annoyed sigh. "It's the special wear for the Elevens of N.E.K.O today. You'll see most of them wearing one. Anya and I were forced to promote it…we look weird, don't we?"

* * *

Suzaku stumbled as one of the guards grabbed a hold of his kimono from behind and yanked him back. The Japanese boy put up a tough struggle, trying to get the big man's hands off of him, but even though he had a good level of strength, it wasn't much compared to this guy in black.

It only continued for a minute or so before there was a second guard on him, and together, they dragged the rebellious boy back. Suzaku had tried to get away…and he had failed.

They pulled him through the waiting room and many of the Japanese people in there who had not gone to stage yet, stared at Suzaku with awe as if endeavoring to escape was something out of this world to them. Lloyd had a firm grasp on a frowning Cecile, and they watched too, as they went by.

"Don't be so rough with him!" The female stylist squeaked in a feeble yet loud tone.

Neither of the men seemed to have listened because Suzaku felt them tighten their grip even more, not that it was surprising since he was still trying to get free. But as they got closer to the stage, his resistance became weaker and weaker, until he felt eyes on him.

Suzaku was thrown forward like a sack and he landed painfully on his stomach. He remained like that for bit as he came to the realization that he was on stage, and there were people staring at him.

He didn't want to look, didn't want to make eye contact with anyone, so he laid there and seconds later, bare feet with red painted toe nails were before him, just in his line of sight.

Suzaku lifted his head up to be greeted by a collar with a metal chain being forced onto him. By the time he got to his knees and sat up, it was already on him. He had been marked with a disgraceful accessory.

His hands shot up to the collar with the attempt to take it off, but he felt himself get tugged forward with amazing strength. Unwilling to put strain on his neck, he automatically got on all fours again and followed the chain with his eyes. And the person holding it was none other than Kiki Motosuwa.

She had a grin on her face and she jerked the chain again, causing Suzaku to inch closer to her.

After they shared a brief and silent exchange, Kiki turned to the audience, keeping a secure grip on the leash. "We apologize for the time you've all be waiting," she cooed. "But this one here is so aggressive that he caused us a bit of trouble. However, we have him, and now it's time for his auction." Kiki lowered herself to Suzaku's level, pulled him close by the chain, and grabbed his chin. With a mean force, she made him look at the audience.

Over one-third of them were men and he only saw two or three women, but the light shining on the stage was so bright that maybe he just couldn't see them all. And as expected, every single one of them was Britannian and appeared to rich due to their attire. There were no Japanese people to be seen.

"This is Suzaku Kururugi, everyone! He's full Japanese, about 18 years of age and possibly a complete virgin! Isn't that right?" Kiki questioned, watching Suzaku as if waiting for an answer.

The boy said nothing in return.

There were a couple of whispers from the crowd, and he looked down, feeling embarrassed. If he tried to escape a second time, would the same thing happen again? Would those guards catch him either way?

"So, he's not the submissive type?" Someone called out from the audience.

Kiki grinned. "I'm sure he could be!" She gave his chain another hard tug and this time the boy retorted with action, spitting right in her face and making majority of the crowd gasp. The girl responded with a shriek of disgust, wiping it off with her sleeve and by the time she glanced up with a scowl, they were looking each other square in the face.

Suzaku stared at Kiki whose eyes were twitching angrily. Her face began to grow a shade of red and even her lower lip quivered as if she were trying to keep herself in check.

"I'd teach that Eleven a lesson…" a man in the front row murmured.

"Hell, I would too. He'd have trouble walking for a month by the time I'm through with him…"

"Hahaha!"

Suzaku felt the chain get yanked forward and before he knew it, Kiki slapped him hard across the face. The attention of the audience was now completely focused on the two, and the female entertainer got to her feet and pulled on the chain with such force that Suzaku felt himself being choked. When his hands went to his neck in a reflex, a foot was pressed onto his back and it pushed him down to his stomach. The choking sensation worsened. "I'll teach you not to spit in my face, KURURUGI!"

The crowd was now loud with chattering and murmuring.

Cecile came running onto stage and Lloyd was trailing behind her. It didn't take long for a whole scene to start. As Lloyd tried to calm Kiki down, Cecile grabbed a hold of the chain, pulling it in Suzaku's direction so he could breathe. It was pure chaos.

And then, surprisingly, it all stopped by three words.

"I want him."

Everyone on stage froze, and the crowd lowered their voices to nothingness. When Suzaku felt the tugging cease, he began coughing uncontrollably and Cecile patted his back softly.

"Excuse me?" Kiki asked comically. "W-what?"

"I said I want him."

A man stood up in the crowd and everyone's heads turned.

He was dressed up in an extravagant suit and was quite handsome with glasses and brown hair that may have been greased back. If anyone could guess his age, he was probably in his middle or late twenties.

By the time Suzaku recovered, Kiki was already speaking, "FINE WITH ME!" She barked. "He isn't even worth the auction! You're the first one to pipe up, cool, you can have him! Any price you want to pay, that's cool with me, too! Just take him!" She stormed off stage. "Who's next up in line?!"

Cecile observed the Japanese boy, who was now looking down instead of at his new master. The stylist frowned, knowing what might be going through his head right now. "Suzaku…"

"Suzaku!"

The Japanese boy looked up again. And standing at the side entrance were three people. Two of them, he recognized automatically. Schneizel El Britannia and Euphemia Li Britannia of the Imperial family…and with them was…

His emerald eye's widened.

"Lelouch!"

* * *

**This cliffie…was also unintentional…somewhat. I have school. It's late. And I should go to sleep. XD around 2,000 words guys! I used to only go to around 1,000 so that's a lot for me! T_T**

**Sorry guys! But you know I'll update soon! X3 I will! I promise! This took me like what 4 days to update? I think that's pretty fast ;P**

**LeAwesome, if I tell you how then it wouldn't be a surprise now would it? ;) I'm planning for it to make people go from "WOAH****" to "AW" so I can't tell you! But it should be in the next chapter or the one after. If I can, I'll try fitiing it in the next one. And yes, maybe you a few others. Thank you for that! Suzaku and I appreciate it! (I'm looking at you two! You know who you are!)**

**Pft…your best review yet xD **

**And Dcatbob….you made my week. XD (you know what you did) But you never reviewed. I'd like to know what you thought! Dx**

**Also.**

**Don't **

**forget to review! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about dat beginning Dx I was so ready to get to the action x3 I hope it doesn't seem too rushed.**

* * *

Rolo and Anya entered the room a few seconds following the reunion of Lelouch and Suzaku. The entire room was hushed, all eyes fixated on the three very important people before them; Lelouch Vi, Euphemia Li and Schneizel El of the holy empire Britannia. Even the stylists Cecile and Lloyd seemed a bit taken back by their presence. Suzaku was probably the only one in the room who was less surprised and more comforted. Though everyone became tense, he relaxed, knowing Lelouch was here now.

The small boy, Rolo made his way past the raven-haired prince and his half-siblings, giving the audience an icy glower. "Stop staring like that and show some respect," he demanded crudely.

Though he was younger than all of the wealthy people in the crowd, they all seemed to obey him and snapped out of their trance, standing up if they weren't already, and bowing towards the descendants of the royal family.

Lelouch came out as unprofessional, ignoring everyone and running towards the front of the stage. When he stopped, Suzaku crawled forward and they made a silent greeting through eye contact. It wasn't until the prince was closer, that the outfit that his friend was wearing finally was being noticed. He looked like he would be modeling for some magazine called, "cat boys," or something, and had a strong scent of coconut coming from him. N.E.K.O had definitely brought out a different look for Suzaku.

"What are you doing here…?" Suzaku whispered.

Lelouch frowned a bit, feeling somewhat hurt that he'd been asked that question. "I wasn't going to just forget that they forced you in here." He turned his head in the direction of his half-sister. Euphy, who had her blue eyes focused on the two, pulled back the long sleeve of her dress to glance at a watch. When she met with Lelouch again, she nodded firmly.

Suzaku observed this, but was uncertain of what it meant. Schneizel had caught the action through a shrewd sideways glance, and though he wasn't informed of the plan, he was pretty sure he didn't need to be. The blond smiled. "I see…so that's why he wanted to come here so badly," he murmured more to himself, but loud enough to be heard. "That makes sense…"

Euphemia regarded him suspiciously; afraid they had been found out. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing…" was the response.

Lelouch looked back at his friend now. "We're going to get you out of here."

"It's too late…I'm already…" Suzaku trailed off, becoming sickened by the thought of having a master.

"We had a feeling that would happen…so we are going to kidnap you instead."

_Being kidnapped from his own master? What an idea that was._

The Japanese boy peeked past Lelouch, expecting to see that man who had claimed him, but he didn't. He scanned the crowds; nowhere to be seen.

It was perfect timing though that Kiki came on stage with a big man who wore similar black clothing to the ones who had chased Suzaku down during his first attempt to escape. And he was holding hand cuffs.

Suzaku knew who those were for and after reminding himself how screwed up this place was, he gave Lelouch a pleading look, begging for help without saying anything.

In reply, the Britannian boy grabbed Suzaku's hand insistently.

This surprised Suzaku at first, and he almost pulled his hand back, but the assertive look in his friend's eyes made him keep from doing so. It almost had him wondering; what exactly did Lelouch plan to do?

Kiki didn't seem to notice the bold move done by Lelouch as she pointed at Suzaku. "You! Your new master is waiting for you! He's signing the papers and everything, so if you'll just come with us and accept these beautiful, yet dull bracelets, you can be on your way and we can continue with-"

There was a sudden yank, and Suzaku felt himself get pulled off stage, which luckily, he managed to not fall on his face or stumble in his kimono.

"Suzaku!" Cecile called out.

"HEY! G-go after them and don't let them get away," Kiki screamed.

Lelouch, though he usually lacked in the athletic department, was doing genuinely well for escaping. Euphemia did a calm sidestep, allowing the two to run past her and out of the auction auditorium. She noiselessly prayed that their plan would work and then glanced at her older half-brother.

"Is that what you were assuming?" The pink-haired princess inquired.

Schneizel had an amused facial expression, and he chuckled. "Well of course…I do not see any other way of going about it besides paying. And it reminds me of when we'd all play hide and go seek as children, and I would always see Lelouch just dragging you along with him by the hand."

"You knew about this?" Rolo questioned, trying to keep his disapproval and anger in check.

The prince stared at the lesser boy, a wide grin carved in his face. "How about this…let's stay on the sidelines and see if they actually do escape. And if they do, my brother gets that eleven and we'll pay his soon-to-not-be master, hmm? What do you say?"

Rolo took a deep breath. "I probably shouldn't say this…but I believe I'm not in the position to refuse you…so fine."

Euphemia smirked.

* * *

Lelouch and Suzaku were now running down what felt like millions of flights of stairs. These were for emergencies only, but they had no choice. If they took the elevator, they'd end up being cornered and caught, and Lelouch knew he only had one shot at this.

The prince, however, was running low on steam and started slowing down. Suzaku had thought too soon, Lelouch was still as out of shape as he's always been. They stopped, and the Japanese boy was fully aware of the fact that their hands remained linked together.

Desperately trying to catch his breath, Lelouch hunched over. "So many stairs…"

"Still as unfit as ever."

"Shut…up," the Britannian boy retorted weakly.

"I'll check the stairs!" A deep voice echoed from above.

Both boys became alert and Suzaku glanced up the heap of stairs they had just descended from. "We can't rest for too long. Here, I'll take the lead instead." He squeezed Lelouch's hand gently, and when the boy straightened up, Suzaku started down the stairs, forcing Lelouch to move his legs once again. It was a while before the two made it to the very last floor of the building.

Lelouch made sure to peek out into the corridors so they could avoid bumping into any security guards. When he confirmed that it was clear, they both snuck into the infamous and well-known maroon halls, and hurried for the exit.

Waiting outside of N.E.K.O was that very familiar black car and a man in a Britannian soldier uniform. He wasn't wearing a helmet, and the blond hair was the one trait Suzaku recalled the most about him.

The Japanese boy was sure he'd never see that guy again, yet there he was, standing there with the usual glinting facial expression.

Rory.

"Well if it isn't Cat Woman's younger brother that nobody knows about because the movie never introduced him!" The officer greeted teasingly to the two, probably more to Suzaku who was now scowling, than to Lelouch. He walked over to them, and then gave a respectful bow to the Britannian prince. "I'm guessing everything went according to plan?"

"Yes," Lelouch murmured. "But it may be better to get Suzaku out of here, right now."

"Found you!" A voice declared triumphantly and arrogantly.

The three turned to see Schneizel exiting the building with an entertained look displayed on his face. Euphemia followed behind him, and tailing her was Rolo, Anya and two security guards in black.

At the sight of them, Rory casually placed himself in front of Lelouch and Suzaku.

"There's no use hiding them, Officer Rory," Schneizel said. "We all know where the little eleven and my brother are. Lelouch…?"

As the raven haired boy was about to step out from behind Rory, he felt Suzaku tighten the grip on his hand, and only ended up stepping out half-way. "Yes?" He replied through gritted teeth.

He had a bad feeling that the plan had failed, that they would take back his friend, and Lelouch would possibly never see him again. Was Schneizel about to confirm that for him?

"Congratulations, that eleven is now yours." The blond professed as he glanced down at Rolo who didn't have on a very pleased look. "Isn't that right?"

The young boy nodded slowly. "Yes…" His response came out as if it had been forced.

Lelouch blinked, somewhat stunned by this. He peered at Euphy for assistance and the princess smiled and gave a reassuring nod in return.

"But what about Suzaku's other-?"

"That's been taken care of," Rolo answered rather quickly. He then addressed the figure behind Rory. "Kururugi?"

Suzaku didn't budge right away, and Lelouch had to give his brown haired friend a push. "…Yes?"

A genuine smile formed on Rolo's lips, and everyone, even the guards were surprised by this since the boy never really smiled unless it was forged. "If I ever come by to visit you, I'll make sure to bring Cecile along. She's very fond of you."

"I…" Suzaku was at a loss of words due to the mixture of nervousness and shock he was feeling, but managed to muster up, "thank you. Please tell her I'm okay, will you?"

Rolo nodded.

* * *

As they got ready to leave N.E.K.O, Schneizel and Euphemia went into a different car while Suzaku and Lelouch decided to drive with Rory in his car.

The drive was more hushed than Lelouch expected it to be, but only for the first few minutes, and then Suzaku spoke up, "Excuse me, Officer Rory?"

In the review mirror, the two boys caught the soldier's blue eyes swiftly flicker from the road, and when he blinked again, he was focused on driving once more. "There's no need for titles. Rory is just fine."

The childhood friends shared a quick expression of disbelief, and Suzaku went on, "uh okay. Well…I was just wondering, why you were helping in trying to get me out of there?"

"And why would you wonder that?" He inquired.

"Because," the Japanese boy paused. "You…don't like me."

At the moment he said that, both Rory grinned and Lelouch's lips contorted into a slight smile, which didn't ease Suzaku's mind at all.

"Not at first," the officer said brusquely. "But I finally realized how much Britannia is in the wrong. I no longer discriminate. There's no such thing as elevens to me anymore, Suzaku."

Hearing Rory actually say his name instead of referring to him as an eleven or scum, surprised Suzaku, but made him feel happier than he had been these past few hours.

The Japanese boy turned around in his seat. They were still in District Eleven, but N.E.K.O was nowhere to be seen. That was good. He never wanted to see that place again.

Relaxing back in his seat, Suzaku looked at Lelouch.

When the Britannian prince glanced back, Suzaku mouthed, _thank you._

Lelouch smiled.

_There's no need to thank me._

_You're my friend._

**(Me: Incorrect! It's my fanfiction, Lelouch, and in this you will be more than friends!)**

* * *

When Suzaku opened his eyes, he found himself lying under a tree full of youthful green leaves. The sun would have been beaming down on him if it weren't for the tall plant because he could make out the little rays of light, trying to slip past the trees mane of green.

The Japanese boy sat up and rubbed his head, confused. Hadn't he just been in a car with Rory and Lelouch? What was this place?

Before him, was a straight, light dirt path and around him, more trees could be seen, and flowers of different types and colors bloomed all around. The air was warm, not dry, nor humid. It may have been the spring time, if Suzaku could guess.

As he got up to his feet, he heard the sound of somebody sprinting and panting. He turned his head in the direction to see Lloyd dressed as a bunny. He had on the same white coat on with bunny ears and a cotton tail on his behind. Whiskers were drawn on his face too. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! It's two past eight! I'm late, so very late!" He cried, checking a golden watch he held in his hands. He ran in full speed past Suzaku and continued down the path as if he hadn't noticed the boy at all.

"Hey! Wait…" The brown haired boy trailed off. "Where am I…?"

He glanced around again, but was still unsure.

So he went down the path after Lloyd the rabbit.

After a few minutes of walking, Suzaku came across a little stream that crossed ways with the path. A bridge went over the river, and he planned to continue on when he noticed a girl with long, orange hair sitting in the water. She had nothing covering her besides two seashells, and below the water, he couldn't tell. As he inched closer, he noticed a familiar face.

"Shirley?"

The girl turned. "Who dares call out to me by my true name?"

When her eyes met Suzaku, the boy waved timidly. "Uh, hi."

"You!" Shirley boomed. "In order to cross my bridge, answer my riddle."

Emerald eyes blinked slowly. "Alright…"

"What's black and white and red all over?"

"A newspaper."

"Dang it!" Shirley's fist hit the top of the water, causing a little splash. "You can go," she murmured dolefully, pouting a little bit.

Suzaku looked from the bridge to Shirley, wondering if asking her a question would do him any good. Though she had the appearance and even the voice of Shirley, this wasn't her. And that bunny earlier, it couldn't have been Lloyd.

_This is all just a dream._

He'd wake up anytime now.

* * *

"Ouch!" Suzaku winced, after pinching himself for the third time now. He couldn't understand why he wasn't waking up from this weird dream.

He had been walking down the same path for what felt like hours, and now he stopped and his jaw dropped a little.

Before him was a forest, trees were everywhere you looked, tightened together in a bunch. The atmosphere felt a little heavier than where he had been previously. He had an urge to turn back.

"Suzaku…" A voice whispered. It echoed repeatedly, coming from the forest…and it sounded like-

"Lelouch?" The Japanese called. "Is that you?"

"Over here, Suzaku…"

It took him a while, but there was really nowhere else for him to go…so why not? He decided to go into the forest and only a minute or so into his hike, he jumped.

He turned suddenly, sensing someone being behind him, but nobody was there. He continued to walk. Again and again, he would flinch; looking left and right because of that same feeling, but it would always end up being nothing.

Once more, he paused and glanced behind him; nobody there. And when he turned back around, his face was literally inches away from a grinning Lelouch. "Hi."

"ACK!" Suzaku yelped, falling backwards in the process and landing on his butt. He looked up immediately, afraid his friend wouldn't be there if he didn't, but that wasn't the case now.

Standing in front of him was Lelouch, and he was dressed as a…cat. The inner part of his ears was pink, and the outer purple. On his face, he had little whiskers and his hands were cladded with cat gloves. His thought-provoking purple turtleneck shirt exposed his arms and his lower stomach, while his black pants appeared to be tight. The black tail seemed realistic as it swayed back and forth excitedly, unlike the one Suzaku had worn at N.E.K.O which remained in the same position it had been bent into.

"…ah-AH! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?"

Lelouch's grin grew even wider. "I'm a neko, silly. Say it with me; Ne-ko!" He offered a hand out to Suzaku. "You of all people should know what that is. I'm not the one from Japan here."

"I do know what that is, but…you…you would never wear…" Though he was speechless due to his friend's getup, he managed to grab Lelouch's hand and was pulled up with surprising strength. "Okay that's it, this is all a dream! You are not that strong!"

Neko Lelouch chuckled. "You're an ass. I like you!" The Britannian boy clung onto Suzaku. "Wanna play a game with me?"

"Sure, why not?" Suzaku muttered. "What's it called?"

Lelouch looked up at him. "It's called; Wake up, Suzaku!"

* * *

Lelouch shook Suzaku hard, but the sleeping boy only shifted.

The car was parked outside the royal family residence, and when Rory poked the raven haired boy awake, Lelouch found his friend, lying down in his lap, saying things in his sleep.

"I do know what that is, but…you…" Suzaku murmured sleepily, his eyes fluttering a little.

The Prince and the blond officer shared a look.

"Wake up, Suzaku!" This time, Lelouch pinched the Japanese boy's cheek, and ended up being slapped in the hand. "Son of a…!"

Rory raised an eyebrow. "I like this kid! How about I just carry him?"

"You can do that?"

"Of course I can!" Rory began to flex a bit. "Look at these!"

* * *

**LeAwesome…how's this for a not cliffhanger! Hohoho! xD Can I have the Suzaku and Lelouch plushies now!? Even though they're not real I can still pretend cuddle them to sleep every night! O.O And who cares about the cookie?! Those plushies x3 And I changed up my idea. It's not really a WOAH and AWW thing anymore Dx but I hope people go AWW in the next chapter :P I made this chapter extra-long so I could get to your neko Lelouch. Your welcome XD**

**And pfft…calling Lelouch a girl now are we?! And evil lord?! Certain zero fanboy?! I'm lost XD**

**It is currently 1:58 in the morning and I'm probably going to church tomorrow. I deserve buttloads of virtual pats on the back for having the ovaries and eggs to keep writing! XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yesss! Hm…maybe…hopefully ;P**

**I'm happy to know that I'm not the only one who majorly fangirls over them LeAwesome xD**

**And Pft. Spoiler alert! The "Evil Lord" is coming back…**

**You: Nu!**

**Me: Yes! O.o**

**But I won't say when x3 I want it to be a surprise!**

**And you don't know how hard I laughed at that. Deithard is definitely a zero fanboy XD**

**To the story!**

* * *

When Suzaku opened his eyes, he found himself lying on top of a large, comfortable bed. He was on his side, and his face was buried into a soft, red pillow. His eyelids grew heavy only seconds afterwards, and they closed again. The drowsiness still hadn't worn off yet as he had just woken up, so confusion settled in, and he stirred a little only to realize that he was covered up by what felt like a blanket. Suzaku opened his eyes once more, fully this time, expecting to see his stylist, Cecile, or that horrible woman, Kiki, but he didn't. Instead, his sight settled on the sleeping figure beside him, and it took him a while to recognize the raven-colored hair.

Next to the bed, Lelouch sat in a chair, hunched over with his head on the edge. One of his arms supported his head as a pillow, and the other was rested on the bed, gripping Suzaku's hand.

The Japanese boy flinched a bit, but not enough to wake up the prince who remained still.

Suzaku sat up without moving too much, afraid to disturb Lelouch from his slumber, and looked around.

Wherever they were, it was definitely anything but normal. To say that this room had the appearance of an average bedroom would be an utter lie. Pretty much everything in there was expensive, or at least it looked like it. Even the red blanket that Suzaku was now pushing off of himself felt and seemed luxurious; this was a very classy bedroom.

Suzaku took an uneasy glance at his and Lelouch's hands as he debated on whether or not he'd be able to pull his away without waking up his friend, and after a few seconds, decided to wing it. At Ashford, he could sleep through almost anything so Suzaku figured this wouldn't be any different.

As Suzaku attempted to slip his hand out from under Lelouch's, something familiar caught his eye, and he stopped, and turned his head. On the edge of the bed, lying all together in a pile, were his cat ears and that collar Kiki had forced onto him. Unconsciously, Suzaku glared at the items.

He then reached behind him, and ended up grabbing ahold of his cat tail that still remained pinned to his kimono. The Japanese sighed heavily, and looked up as the door opened.

A pretty girl with long, flowing pink hair walked in, holding a dark purple blanket in her arms. It didn't take long for Suzaku to realize she had been there at N.E.K.O with Lelouch when he came to rescue him. She gave him a warm smile, closed the door behind her, and walked over to the two. She peeked at her sleeping half-brother before addressing Suzaku sweetly, "Lelouch sleeps like a little baby, doesn't he?"

The girl gripped the blanket with one hand, extending the other out to the brown haired boy. "My name is Euphemia, but you can call me Euphy. Consider that something special…I usually only let my family or really close friends call me that." Her small lips grew into a wider, welcoming smile.

"Oh…" Suzaku used his free hand to clasp with hers. "I'm Suzaku Kururugi."

"Well I know that," the princess piped, looking down at the sleeping raven haired boy. "Lelouch has told me a lot about you, and I'm glad that we got you out of that place…" she trailed off, and began giggling a bit. "How cute! Does Lelouch always do that to you?"

Suzaku raised an eyebrow and Euphy gestured towards their hands.

"N-no! This doesn't happen often, trust me!"

"Hey…don't raise your voice. Sleeping beauty is still napping," she whispered, turning quickly and heading for the door. "I'll get you your new clothes. I'm sure you'd like to get rid of that Kimono…and that tail." She paused at the doorway, glancing back. "By the way…you're blushing."

Princess Euphemia hastily left the room with a smile on her face before Suzaku countered loudly, "I am NOT blushing; it's just the color of the make-up!"

Lelouch suddenly sat up in his seat, causing Suzaku's lips to tighten together apologetically. Maybe he shouldn't have raised his voice like that…

"Shut up…" The prince murmured wearily. He looked around as if he had forgotten where he was, and then vigilantly eyed his and Suzaku's hands. The amount of time that Lelouch stared was more than enough to make Suzaku tense even though this was his friend.

And then the weirdest thing happened.

Lelouch looked up and his eyes became watery.

"Ah!" The Japanese boy started to panic internally. "Are you crying?"

"I am not! … I'm not…"

A surprised Suzaku watched as Lelouch practically threw himself at him, wrapping the brown haired boy in a startlingly tight embrace, and for some reason, Suzaku caught his heart start to race. He managed to return the hug, but couldn't help but wonder why he was feeling this way being so close to Lelouch.

* * *

"So…we're in your room…in the mansion of the Royal Britannian Family?" Suzaku inquired.

"Yep."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"And I got carried up all those stairs by Officer Rory, and never woke up?"

"Not even a little," Lelouch said.

"I must have been really tired."

"Oh, I bet…"

Suzaku pulled his face away from Lelouch, squeezing his emerald orbs shut. "That hurts!"

"Well, that's a lot of make-up and you're obviously not scrubbing hard enough," Lelouch retorted, grabbing the Japanese boy's chin again. "Stop moving,' he ordered firmly, continuing to wipe Suzaku's cheeks with the wet washcloth.

Huffing out a sigh of defeat, Suzaku obeyed. "This is embarrassing."

The corners of Lelouch's lips rose into a smile, but he said nothing.

Suzaku caught it. "What are you smiling about?!"

If the Britannian prince planned to answer, he never got the chance to because there was a soft double knock on his door.

"Who is it?" Lelouch called, still wiping Suzaku's face.

"Kallen..."a female voice replied. "I've brought the clothes Prince Schneizel picked out for the newbie."

"Oh, come in."

A girl with short, red hair walked in, dressed in a black and white maid's dress, her white socks reaching to her knees. She had a sort of irritated look on her face as she strolled into the room awkwardly; making it clear that she didn't like what she was wearing. She placed the outfit on the bed beside Suzaku, and then blinked at him. "So you're the newbie, huh?"

"Uh…" He peered at Lelouch for a assistance, who nodded slightly. "…Yes."

The raven haired boy stopped, turning towards Kallen. "It'd be helpful if you'd fill him in on certain things, too."

The maid saluted. "Aye, aye, young master," she replied sarcastically. "Oh. I also came to tell you that his blond, snobby highness wishes to speak with his brother."

Lelouch sighed. "Right…" he started for the door. "Kallen, would you?"

"Understood," said the red head.

Soon it was only Suzaku and Kallen in the room, and the maid turned to face him. "Alright, let me make this quick and simple." She pointed to the butler coat on the bed. "That's your uniform. You have different color ones, but I think the black and white one looks the best. If Schneizel suggests you wear a certain color…just do it. Save yourself the trouble." She paused, thinking. "Oh, the first thing I should have told you is that you're a butler!"

Suzaku shifted uncomfortably. "Excuse me, I'm a what?"

"Butler," Kallen hissed. "Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"No, but-"

The maid raised a hand. "It's only an act for Prince Schneizel. You're supposed to be Lelouch's maid. Just play along, alright? There are certain rules in this place and I'm here to keep you from screwing up."

Suzaku didn't like this idea at all, but he nodded. Out of one problem…and into another. Though in all honesty, being Lelouch's servant sounded a lot better than a Britannian man he didn't know.

"Cool." Kallen spun on her heels. "Now follow me, I'll show you to your room so you can take a shower and stuff. So what's your name, rookie?"

"Suzaku Kururugi."

"Ah. Well Suzaku, I hope you and I become good friends…because I hate the other maids."

* * *

After taking his shower and changing into the tail-coat Kallen had given him, Suzaku found himself sitting on his bed, sulking. He definitely owed it to Lelouch for getting him out of there, otherwise, he'd be in a position he wouldn't want to think about. But he seemed to be in a similar situation now.

Though Suzaku would rather be Lelouch's servant any day rather than those disgusting Britannians back at N.E.K.O, he still didn't feel right about this.

"Suzaku…are you done?" Came Lelouch's voice from outside his room.

The Japanese boy looked up. "Yes."

Lelouch opened the door and closed it shut behind him, pressing his back against the door. "Kallen told you everything, right?"

"Yeah…"

The prince watched as Suzaku hung his head once again, and walked over to his friend, placing a hand on his head. "…your hair is still wet. You could catch a cold like that, idiot!"

Surprised by that, Suzaku raised his head and his gaze followed Lelouch who hurried to the bathroom and returned with a towel. He sat down by Suzaku and started drying his hair.

"Don't do that…"

"Sorry," Suzaku murmured quietly.

"No, I'm sorry," said the Britannian boy, returning his hands and the towel to his lap.

Emerald eyes turned to meet the prince's. "For what?"

Lelouch held the gaze, looking firm on the outside, but desperately wanting to look away on the inside. "For dragging you into this…I guess I only made things worse."

Suzaku shook his head. "That's not true. I'd rather be here with you," he said, smiling.

Lelouch didn't smile back. He only stared at Suzaku as if trying to figure out if that were a lie just to make him feel better. "I'd rather you be here with me, too…but maybe your reasons differ from mine."

And then he leaned in and pressed his lips against Suzaku's.

It only lasted for a couple of seconds, and a stunned Suzaku didn't have enough time to process it before it was over. Lelouch easily kept his emotions intact as he swiftly got to his feet and headed for the door. Suzaku, whose face was now flushed, was another story.

"I can't believe I finally did that…" Lelouch said, looking over his shoulder at his friend. "Sorry…Kallen should be here in a little bit."

And with that Lelouch was gone.

Suzaku touched his own lips with his fingers. "…What just happened?"

* * *

**I tried making this a non cliffie…do you guys consider this a non-cliffie?! If it isn't…GOMENASAI! Dx**

**ALSO, something to point out!**

**I was reading the fanfic by LeAwesome with Lelouch being a maid (which btw DEFINITELY original, I like it! Update it soon!) and I happened to see a certain review by a certain Suzaku ass lover xD**

**I quote/copy and paste:**

"**And yes. I did threaten SailorKickass's ovaries! *starts singing cell block tango*  
SHE HAD IT COMING. SHE HAD IT COMING. SHE ONLY HAS HERSELF TO BLAME. IF YOU'D HAVE BEEN THERE. IF YOU'D HAVE SEEN IT. I BETCHA YOU WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME!  
*ends cell block tango number*  
the only thing that had saved her ovaries is the fact that she updated before i could find her."**

**So that's how it is!? XDD I HAD IT COMING?! Yeah..i did. xD Soon Lelouch will have Suzaku coming too OOOOOOOOOOH! xD**

**But anyway I was thinking about ending it RIGHT where Lelouch kissed Suzaku, but I didn't! Cause I was thinking about my lovely story followers. YOU HEAR THAT? I LOVE YOU. So hard. So very hard.**

**Review? :D**

**And if there are mistakes…talk to the hand e.e**


	8. Chapter 8

Suzaku seemed to be staring off into space as he watched Kallen decide how many spoons of sugar to drop into the tea. She stirred the drink with the little silverware until the particles dissolved, eyed it cautiously, and added another spoonful, stirring again.

She stopped, looking at the Japanese boy. "And that's pretty much how Schneizel likes his…hey! Are you even listening to me?" The red head flicked the male on the nose, causing him to flinch.

He moved from his position, elbows on the table, supporting his head, and stood up straight. "I…I AM listening, Kallen! It just didn't seem like it." Suzaku felt discomfort around his neck, and tugged on the neck of his uniform. "Four spoons of sugar…"

"No. Five!" She blurted. "You're not paying attention at all! Go ahead, what's on your mind? I'm all ears."

Suzaku blinked, and glanced away, silently debating on whether he should vent to Kallen or not. He felt like she was a trustworthy person…but he was more focused on the cons of telling her.

"Well…" Suzaku murmured, thinking as his voice faded. At the last moment, he decided against it. "It's nothing. I've just been tired. It's been a really long day for me, you know?"

Kallen cocked an eyebrow at him. "Yeah…worst liar ever." She picked up the cup of tea and headed for the kitchen exit. "But I guess some things just shouldn't be mentioned, huh? That's okay. Let's go. After this, we'll go check on Lelouch, and then Euphemia to see if they need anything."

Suzaku followed after her. "I want to tell you…I just don't know how to put it…"

The maid spun on her heel so quickly yet perfectly that the tea didn't even spill a drop. Her back was against the door and she gave him a hard look. "Explain it the best that you can then."

Suzaku bit his bottom lip uncertainly, and then sighed. "Alright…I need advice."

"Already in love with Euphemia?"

"No!" The brown haired boy countered quickly. "Just listen, and tell me what you would do." When the maid nodded, he continued, "So what if you've been friends with a guy for years…and you end up getting into a super tight spot. A super, _bad_, tight spot. Then you're friend comes to your rescue and gets you out of that position. And even though…you're _friends_…he kisses you. What do you do?"

Kallen grinned. "If he's a cute guy; there are so many things I'd do…"

"I'm being serious!" Suzaku snapped. "And I mean, after he kissed you, he walked off and didn't let you say anything…" He trailed off, frowning a little bit at the thought of the stunt.

"Set him straight," Kallen replied simply, turning around and opening the door with her free hand. "I'd hunt him down for an answer, to be honest."

After a small pause and a moment of taking in what he had heard, Suzaku moved to catch up with the girl. "Really…?" He inquired, walking in sync with Kallen as they descended down a long corridor.

"Yeah! It seems to me like you won't be getting an answer unless you push the subject."

"Guess you're right…" Suzaku said dully. "But I doubt it'll work-"

About to turn the corner, an abrupt stop of the red head caused Suzaku to do the same and hastily shut his mouth closed. He watched as Kallen peered out and then quickly turned to him, gesturing to her lips as she put on a smile. Suzaku blinked, and forged a smile himself.

She nodded, and continued on.

* * *

Suzaku and Kallen guardedly observed Schneizel as he lifted the tea cup gently, positioned it towards his mouth and took a sip. He could feel a tense atmosphere growing from the maid beside him as if this was a big deal or something. The blond seemed to prolong this rigidity, keeping his facial features emotionless, and then after some seconds, placing the tea cup down on his desk, fairly away from the small stack of papers he had been looking over before they entered his study.

Just as Kallen instructed, Suzaku kept a decent look on his face, and though it was easy to see the nervousness in Kallen, she followed her own advice as best she could.

Prince Schneizel closed his eyes, and the room became hushed and even more apprehensive.

The two subordinates waited, staring at the man. Soon, it had been over a minute.

Kallen finally piped, "uh…your highness-?"

"SPLENDID!" Schneizel bellowed.

Suzaku was the only one who flinched at the unexpected praise. On the other hand, Kallen appeared slightly annoyed, and to the best of her ability, she forced a sweet, "You always do that, your majesty. It scares me. But it wasn't me who made your tea this time…" She motioned to Suzaku proudly.

The lie caught the Japanese boy off guard, and when he heard it, he became stiff. Schneizel turned his attention towards Suzaku with an expression full of satisfaction. "Is that so?"

When he didn't answer right away, Kallen nudged his foot with hers. "Yes," he replied.

"I taught him how to make tea just the way you like it," the maid added.

Suzaku found himself being strongly observed by the Prince, and he couldn't help but look elsewhere around the room just so he'd avoid eye contact with Schneizel.

"Hmm," the prince murmured, finally breaking the stare and glancing at the red head. "Kallen, would you mind getting Euphy for me? I need to talk to her."

"Yes, your majesty," she answered, heading for the door.

Suzaku started to follow, but was stopped.

"Stay here, Suzaku," Schneizel ordered softly.

Both of the servants turned to look at the Prince. Kallen's eyes widened. "But-"

"All I want to do is speak with him for a while," Schneizel assured the maid. "Go do as I asked of you."

The girl frowned a little, and when Suzaku looked at her, she smiled once more as if to tell him that he'd be fine. He watched as she left the office, closing the door shut, and when he turned around he found himself looking right at Schneizel.

The prince had gotten out of his seat and was disturbingly close to Suzaku now, staring down at him with cold, blue eyes. His lips were no longer a smile, and not even a frown, but a displeased, straight line. The Japanese boy couldn't muster up the power to say anything.

"I believe we never got to properly introduce ourselves," Schneizel finally said.

Suzaku's left eye unconsciously twitched. "You're right…" he then tried to nicely add, "I'm Suzaku."

After a long and unnecessary glare, the blond man snickered.

"What's so funny…?"

"You are," replied Schneizel coldly. He begin to fill in the space between him and Suzaku, and the younger male, who was now backing up, soon had his back against the closed door of the room.

The prince invaded the space Suzaku would have considered personal, and hovered over him with an unpleasant expression. "I don't mean introduce on those terms," Schneizel whispered. "I mean making sure you understand your place…compared to mine." He then leaned in close enough that Suzaku could feel the older man's breath touch his ear. "And compared to Lelouch's."

Suzaku's features tightened up a bit as he felt anger well up inside. "What are you talking about?"

Schneizel pulled back, his face only mere inches from the Japanese boy's. "I'm talking about the future. You see, I'm fine with you two playing sleepover, but if I find that you interfere with the decisions Lelouch will have make later on…I will dispose of you."

Things begin to race inside of Suzaku's mind at the moment. It suddenly came to him, that even though he was here with Lelouch, he wasn't safe. He was on unknown grounds just like N.E.K.O.

Though he had gotten free from that place, it seemed that he hadn't gone very far up the ladder.

And now, he was being threatened.

"What decisions?" He asked.

"That is none of your concern," Schneizel retorted. "Lelouch cares for you…and you're an Eleven. See something wrong with that picture?" Though Suzaku scowled rudely, the blond continued, "There's nothing I can do about that. But you better make sure he doesn't start caring for the rest of your kind. An heir to the Britannian throne shouldn't give Elevens any thought at all."

Suzaku looked away, his emerald eyes glistening with irritation.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"…Yes, your majesty…"

* * *

Suzaku had remained stone faced as he followed Kallen down the halls. She didn't understand what Schneizel could have said to make the Japanese boy this way, and even though she really wanted to, she refrained from questioning him on the topic.

But eventually, the silence got to her.

"Don't ponder over whatever it is Schneizel told you, Suzaku," the red head piped. "He always does some kind of test with the newbies like that; trying to scare them and all."

The brown haired boy did not reply.

Kallen glanced over her shoulder. "Suzaku, are you listening to me?"

"I guess…" he answered wearily.

The maid sighed, finding it depressing to see her friend in this state. She slowed down, starting to walk by Suzaku's side, and looked at him as enthusiastically as she could. "Guess where I'm taking you?"

"I don't know…where?"

"Here," she said as they stopped at the main hall, near the entrance of the mansion.

Suzaku eyed her with a sideways glance. "Are we sweeping or something?"

Kallen shook her head. "This has nothing to do with cleaning." She pulled back the long sleeves of her dark outfit and stared at a watch, then peered left and right. "He should be here anytime…"

"Who?" Suzaku inquired suspiciously.

As if to answer that question, Lelouch came walking down the stairs only seconds after Suzaku had spoken, wearing more casual yet elaborate clothes than before. It took him a while, but when he noticed the two standing there, especially Suzaku, it was pretty much too late. He paused at the bottom of the stairs, observing them quietly.

"Kallen…" The prince started.

The maid raised her hand, and he stopped respectfully, even though he was above her.

She pushed Suzaku forward from behind. "He's all yours, your highness. Princess Euphemia and I are going to go shopping later today, and I gotta go take a shower! Catch you later, Suzaku." She brushed past Lelouch and headed up the stairs, turning just enough to wink at the Japanese boy before she left.

Suzaku sighed, now understanding what it was Kallen had just done. Though he hadn't mentioned Lelouch's name, she knew who he was talking about earlier…she had purposely set this up.

The emerald eyed boy felt his face grow hot and all he could do was hope that his cheeks weren't reflecting it. Confronting Lelouch was the last thing he wanted to do, but this was his chance, and Kallen had went through the trouble of planning it. So he might as well…

"Lelouch…I need to talk…to you," Suzaku forced out.

The Britannian boy suddenly appeared to be somewhat panicked, and his eyes wandered around the corridor instead of maintaining contact with Suzaku. "I can't."

"Yes you can," Suzaku said firmly.

Lelouch quickly shook his head and turned to go back up the stairs, but the brown haired boy rushed over and managed to grab his arm before he could. "Please, Lelouch."

"…Fine."

* * *

**XDDD I never wrote that last chapter thinking, "Euphemia, be a SuzaLulu fangirl!" but that would be very…VERY legit! Things are going down in this next chapter; DOWN I TELL YOU! I'm debating though…yaoi…or no yaoi? Next chapter won't be any "OOO LELOUCH GIVE ME MORE!" kind of yaoi (I know I know…bummer right?!) I'm trying to make the relationship build more, (and I think I suck at writing things like that anyway) but I can add the sweet stuff x3**

**And what do you guys think? Did I make Schneizel evil enough?! I tried to XD**

**I'm excited for your reactions to the later things that will happen x3**

**But being serious, thank you guys for reviewing, especially LeAwesome and Pft for reviewing every chapter. You two help me update a lot faster than I normally do xD**

**Sorry for the long wait this time too. School has been kind of busy and I've had jizzloads of writer's block moments for this D: I'll try to update faster if I can :3 But thank you all for sticking with this story for this long! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

In one of the many lengthy corridors of the mansion, Suzaku followed behind Lelouch, waiting for the silence between them to cease, waiting for an answer. He had done what Kallen said he should do; he asked about what had happened earlier, and now it was Lelouch's time to reply.

After what seemed like a full 30 seconds, the prince answered, "I was merely doing a traditional custom of Britannia. That's all."

"So…you're telling me that Britannians kiss…friends?"

"Yes."

The brown haired boy raised an eyebrow. "How come I've never seen that happen at Ashford?"

Lelouch cringed and abruptly stopped walking, turning to face Suzaku in confrontation. He had that well-known blank expression on his face, making it difficult to tell what he was thinking though his eyes were a different story. There seemed to be a mixture of irritation and shame which made the Japanese boy frown. He had never seen Lelouch's eyes show those kinds of emotions.

"Hey, are you-?"

"I didn't know how to put it into words."

Suzaku blinked. "Put what into words?"

"How I feel…about you," when a confused look was thrown Lelouch's way, he sighed. "I wanted you to know that you're more…than a friend to me-"

"Wait, but we're both guys!"

The soft facial expression on Lelouch's face dropped, and he scowled at the emerald eyed male. "Don't you think I know that?" He took a deep breath, and his glare relaxed. "I'm surprised too, but you're the one person I can believe in…I'd trust you with my life, Suzaku."

Lelouch was getting closer now, and though his face was a little flushed, his movement was confident. From the pace of his pounding heart, Suzaku had a feeling that he too was blushing, but a whole lot more. His mind was racing so much that he couldn't even think of what to say.

The Britannian boy grasped a fistful of the front of Suzaku's coat, and started to lean in. A nervous Suzaku backed himself up against the wall, leaving him with nothing else to do but to take it like man. "W-wait! Listen!"

Lelouch's lips were only an inch or two away from kissing Suzaku's, but he froze and pulled back. Both of them turned in the direction of what sounded like soft footsteps heading their way, and they quickly separated themselves just in time to see a maid come down the hall.

She had on the same exact outfit that Kallen wore, except her dress was navy blue and white instead. Her face was gentle and her brown hair was tied up in a bun that sat on top of her head. She paused in front of the two and bowed before looking at them through her thin glasses. "I hope I'm not intruding, but His majesty, Prince Schneizel, would like for you to get ready for the very important dinner this evening." She looked at Suzaku. "That also applies to you, Mr. Kururugi. Prince Schneizel wants his special guest to be as presentable as possible."

Suzaku was caught off guard. "Me?"

"Did he tell you why?" Lelouch inquired.

The maid shook her head. "…But I do know someone important will be joining us."

"Who?"

"I'm afraid I wasn't told that," she muttered. "I'm very sorry…"

"There's no need to apologize. Thank you," Lelouch replied hastily, grabbing Suzaku by the wrist and pulling him past the maid. "We'll go get ready."

* * *

Lelouch stood by the closed door of the bathroom with his back against the wall as he waited for Suzaku to finish getting dressed. He himself was already cladded in elegant royal-wear, this time the main color being a darkish shade of purple. Having been counting in his head, so far Suzaku had taken almost five minutes. The prince huffed peevishly and called out, "how long does it take for you to put clothes on?"

"Not long!" Suzaku retorted from the other room. "I…I just….this…damn it…" after trailing off, the door opened and the Japanese boy came out undoing his bowtie with a pout on his face. "…help me."

Lelouch rolled his eyes and smiled, tying the bow perfectly the first try. "There."

"How did you…?"

"Well I used to wear them often so might as well know how to tie one," he said.

After Lelouch had finished with the bowtie, it took Suzaku quite a while to realize how close they were standing to one another but that thought was pushed aside when he actually got to get a good look at his friend's face. Suzaku found himself thinking about how beautiful Lelouch really was. He had always looked like this though, so why hadn't Suzaku noticed it before?

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "…what?"

In response, Suzaku cupped the raven haired boy's face in his hands and gave him a quick peck on the lips. It happened so fast that Lelouch didn't even process it until it was done. Suzaku pulled back and smiled. "Sorry, I didn't know how to put it into words."

The prince stared at his friend's smiling expression, his eyes big and wide, but they soon narrowed. "Are you mocking me, Kururugi?"

"Maybe," Suzaku replied as he dropped his hands to his side. "But that's the only part I was joking about."

Lelouch seemed to be at a loss of words and watched as Suzaku brushed past him, heading for the door. He turned and looked at the still frozen Britannian prince. "Shouldn't we be going?"

"…Right."

* * *

The two were escorted by another Japanese maid who's very long and dark hair was tied into two pigtails on each side. Accompanied with uniform were cat ears, a tail, and a collar around her neck. As she walked, she gripped the sides of her dress self-consciously and her face was still red. The moment Lelouch and Suzaku looked at her when they opened the door to see her standing outside; her cheeks grew flushed and she even stuttered some.

Suzaku couldn't help but stare though. He had been in that very same position and even the mention of a cat brought back the horrid memories of his time at N.E.K.O.

When they got to the dining room entrance, the little maid pushed open the big door and held it for them. They entered, the maid hurried in after and bowed. "Lelouch Vi Britannia and Suzaku Kururugi have been escorted, your highness."

On the very end of the long table sat two men, who both looked up when the younger girl spoke. One of them was Schneizel and the other Suzaku didn't recognize, but he had a charming and annoyingly familiar appearance. He had brown that was neatly brushed and well taken care of, with glasses that went over his strikingly blue-greenish eyes. If he wasn't a noble, he was obviously rich from the clothes he was cladded in. The man also seemed fairly young, a couple years over twenty, nothing more.

"Oh, thank you very much," Schneizel said courteously to the maid who bowed quickly.

"Dinner should be ready soon," she said before leaving the room.

The other man glanced at Schneizel. "Cute."

After a little chuckle, the blond replied, "I told you." He then looked towards Lelouch and Suzaku who still stood near the doorway. "You two get over here! I've got a very important friend with us tonight."

The younger males looked at each other before they walked over.

"This is nobleman Isaac Raymond," said the blond Britannian as Isaac waved with a smile.

"I'm Lelouch Vi Britannia…it's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Isaac."

Isaac raised his hands. "Hey, no need to address me with my title." He then glanced at the Japanese boy, his smiling widening. "Remember me, Mr. Kururugi?"

Schneizel blinked. "You two have met?"

The aristocrat nodded, keeping his eyes on Suzaku. "Oh yes."

After a hard stare, Suzaku finally realized who this man was and why he looked so familiar. He had been the very same man from N.E.K.O, the one who would have been Suzaku's current master if it weren't for Lelouch.

"You knew a Britannian nobleman from your past?" Lelouch asked, obviously just as shocked as Schneizel. "How?"

Suzaku forged a smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Our fathers were childhood friends…right?"

Isaac's lips tightened together as he caught the lie, but played along anyway. "…yes, that's correct."

Suddenly two people barged into the dining room and all the males turned their heads to see Kallen and a pink haired princess who both appeared a little worn out.

Euphemia ran a hand over her hair and then her dress. "I'm really sorry for being late, Schneizel. Time flies when your shopping I guess," she said.

"You're nothing but a few minutes late, now come sit down."

* * *

Even though there was talking instead of complete silence, the dinner went by very slowly to Suzaku. If Isaac wasn't speaking to anybody, he was usually glancing at the Japanese boy which made him feel uncomfortable, but he did enjoy the stories. Luckily, Kallen's presence broke a lot of the ice because Schneizel and Euphemia had many humorous times to recall that involved the red head and she'd interrupt them with amusing comments. Lelouch even ended up breaking out in laughter, and everyone, especially Kallen and Suzaku were startled by that. Still, it was good for him to laugh.

Once the dinner was over and the dining table was cleaned up, Isaac was the first to speak.

"Well I suppose I should be taking my leave," he announced.

"I suppose you should," Schneizel replied, offering his hand. "Visit anytime, alright?"

Isaac smiled and shook his friend's hand. "Alright." He turned to Suzaku. "Mind if I talk to you on the way?"

The Japanese boy shrugged his shoulders. "I guess not."

They both started for the door and walked down the corridor in silence. Suzaku stayed a little bit behind Isaac, wondering why he wanted the younger male to see him off. Surprisingly, Isaac seemed like a decent man, so why did Suzaku still have an edgy feeling around him?

When they got to the front door, Isaac stopped and looked at Suzaku.

"What was that lie for?" He asked. "The one about our parents being childhood friends."

Suzaku blinked, startled by the question. "It was nobody else's business how we were familiar with each other. And I didn't want Lelouch to know."

"Know what?" Isaac inquired with irritation. "That you belong to me?"

"I don't belong to you!"

The older man grabbed Suzaku by his coat and shoved him into the door, retorting firmly, "You do."

For a few seconds, Suzaku was stunned but managed to get himself back together quickly, grasping a hold of Isaac's wrists. "Stop it, we're still in-"

He was stopped mid-sentence when he felt the aristocrat kiss him with so much force, that when he pulled back, Suzaku's mouth ached a bit. They both stared at each other in silence until Isaac released his grip on the younger boy's clothes. "Go."

As Suzaku distanced himself from the nobleman, Isaac watched him do so, and then opened the door. He looked over his shoulder. "I want to see you again soon, Suzaku."

No response came from the Japanese boy, and with that, Lord Isaac was gone.

But Suzaku had a bad feeling that he'd be back.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER? WUT. I don't know what you're talking about. I'm innocent! I PLEAD THE 1****ST****! But sorry guys, I'm too lazy to write another scene. This took me FOREVER! All since my last update and all today. You guys are lucky I took my only day off for the next 3 weeks to write this DX**

**I bet you guys thought Pft hunted me down and murdered me right? :3 but nope! I'M ALIVE! :D**

**Because I still have stuff to do, I'm going to trust that I made no mistakes….oh god XD I probably did.**

**So you guys do your thing and review! ^_^**

**And I just realized something. Suzaku got taken advantage of twice…. (clearly that's my fault but..) GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, KURURUGI! xD **

**Also LeAwesome….about your suggestion for Schenizel…don't you worry…he does… ;) I planned on introducing it in the next chapter anyway so good timing x3**


	10. Chapter 10

It was almost about to be 10pm and N.E.K.O would soon be closing for the night. Anya sat on top of the desk she and Rolo always did whenever they were on duty. He had told the pink haired girl he'd be back, that he was just going to lock up all the dressing rooms so she decided to wait in the lobby of the building. The light that shone from the phone illuminated her face which seemed to be perfectly positioned from the machine; not too close or too far.

Anya had been rewriting her day in a memo app, and unlike usual, she actually appeared to be very interested in what she was typing. Typically, it would be almost the same thing every day; the same thing that happened at N.E.K.O. But this time, she had even better things to record.

There was a sudden sound of the automatic doors sliding open, and Anya looked up, wondering who happened to completely bypass the glowing red letters that spelled out, "CLOSED" in the front. She waited for a bit and soon heard the sounds of multiple footsteps all at once. It almost sounded like a whole group of people; maybe five or six.

Anya straightened up. "Hello?" She called out. "N.E.K.O isn't open right now…"

There was no reply, but the footsteps continued.

The small girl slid off the desk and cautiously walked down the corridor. "Hello?"

They stopped, and Anya froze.

* * *

Cecile stretched her arms out above her head and yawned as she followed behind Rolo. The two had finished locking up everything and were now on their way to the front. "Wow. I am tired," the woman murmured. "Today was a long, but fascinating day. You know, I'm glad Suzaku's friend found him. He sure is different from all the other Japanese people I've met here."

The young male raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Or maybe you only think that because he happened to piss off Kiki by shooting his salvia into her face right in front of all the noblemen."

Before he even finished, Cecile was already smiling and shook her head a little. "That was very entertaining, but I don't mean that, Rolo. I just feel like Suzaku stands out is all. He's a real interesting character, don't you think?"

Rolo shrugged. "I suppose. If you were to put him in a crowd of Elevens, I'd probably notice him first."

The stylist blinked and eyed the boy. "Who are you and what did you do with my Rolo?"

"Ha-ha," he cooed. "Very funny…but I'm being serious. You're absolutely right. Suzaku is diff-"

He was cut off by the sound of gunshots being fired. Cecile, despite being the older one, jumped, hiding herself behind Rolo and grabbed his shoulders. They both stared down the hallway.

"Did you hear that?" Cecile whispered.

"Anya!" Rolo cried, starting down the corridor in a hurry. He only managed a few steps though before he spotted the panicked girl running quickly towards him. She had her phone grasped tightly in her hand, her eyes were somewhat watery, and when she got close enough, she practically flung herself into Rolo's arms, and he embraced her and pressed her little body against his protectively.

Cecile hurried over. "Anya, what's happening?"

The girl looked up and made eye contact with the woman, her head still against Rolo's chest. "There's a whole group of Elevens in the building…" she uttered.

Rolo's eyes narrowed. "What for?"

Anya shrugged. "They asked me where their people were being held…and I told them to leave because we're closed. And then one of them shot at me."

"So they're trying to break out other Elevens," Rolo concluded.

"Oh god," Cecile sobbed. "We need to get out of here. Call the police. Hide. Do something!"

"You three, DON'T move!" A voice demanded. "Or I'll shoot the Britannian filth out of you."

They followed the voice and made contact with a man who wore a black mask over his face, and had a small handgun aimed at the three of them. Rolo slowly pushed Anya behind him, and hide both her and Cecile with his body. He raised his hands leisurely as if defeated. "We don't want any trouble…"

"No trouble…" repeated the smaller female.

* * *

_The small raven-haired boy cautiously watched as his older half-brother bandaged his arm. His eyes were filled with watery tears, and he sniffled repeatedly, and then wiped his face with his free hand._

"_Schneizel, it was only a cut, I don't need you to-"_

"_If it's only a cut, then why are you crying like a little baby?" There was no quick reply. "If it hurts, then let me wrap it. You wouldn't want anything to scratch against it, now would you, Lelouch?"_

"_No…."_

"_Okay, then. So be quiet."_

_The little prince watched as the blond continued to wrap his arm. He had a question he wanted an answer to, but was debating on whether or not he should ask. These two seemed to be such opposites. Schneizel was obedient, and listened to his mother and Emperor Charles, and anyone who he knew was above him. On the other hand, Lelouch was defiant, wanted to do his own thing, and sometimes violated orders just so he could._

_Whenever Lelouch looked at Schneizel, he seemed almost "too good to be true." Euphemia had told him that nobody was perfect. So what was so imperfect about Schneizel then?_

"_Big brother…"_

"_Yes, Lelouch?"_

_The amethyst eyes of the boy meet with the pale, yet bright blue eyes of the other. "What are you hiding? Euphy says that everyone has imperfections or dark secrets, that nobody does everything right. So what are yours? What do you do wrong?"_

_Schneizel forced a smile. "What are you talking about?"_

"_You know….like- OW!"_

_The sudden and extremely tight squeeze of the bandage around his wound caused the boy to cry out mid-sentence. New and fresh tears were beginning to form around his eyes which were now closing tight, making them travel down his cheeks and drip off his jawline and chin. He was now sobbing._

"_What were you saying?" The blond boy inquired firmly through gritted teeth._

_Lelouch shook his head feebly._

"_Alright," Schneizel murmured, loosening his pull on the bandages. "I'm sorry, Lelouch." While the younger boy continued to cry, Schneizel wrapped the cut up completely and then cupped Lelouch's face in his hands and stared, smiling at his sibling's pain._

"_You look miserable. It's adorable."_

_And Lelouch did. The boy unconsciously had one eye squeezed the shut as the feeling of his cut being constricted still fresh in his mind. His breathing was hitched, coming out almost like a mixture of crying hiccups, gasps and sniffles. The trails left behind by the flow of tears were now being wiped away by Schneizel's fingers. A pair of lips pressed against Lelouch's cheeks, and the boy stopped whining._

_For a while, there was silence._

_And then Schneizel whispered, "I really do love the sound of you in pain. It makes me happy."_

_Lelouch's bottom lip began to quiver and his teeth chatter._

"_Are you happy now? You finally know what's so imperfect about me," the older one said as he hands slid down from the raven-haired boy's face. "I enjoy….."_

_Schneizel gripped Lelouch's neck dangerously, and the boy started to cry again, reaching up to grab his brother's wrists. He tried to speak. "….EH!" But he wasn't getting enough air. "-CH…!"_

"…_inflicting pain…"_

* * *

Lelouch was breathing heavily; his breaths long, spaced and deep. He could feel the sweat on his forehead and hear the sound of his pounding heart as if it were in his head instead of his chest.

"Hey, Lelouch?"

It took a while, but his blurred vision regained focus, and he squinted in the darkness of his room to find himself looking at the frowning Japanese male who lay beside him.

"…Suzaku?" The prince whispered, still trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You scared the living shit out of…."

Lelouch abruptly buried his face into Suzaku's neck and clung to him, causing the other to trail off and his cheeks to grow a light shade of red. The embrace was returned with any words.

"I told you I would need you here…" The Britannian boy whispered faintly.

Suzaku didn't say anything; in fact, he didn't know what to say. It was surprising enough to see Lelouch sneak into his room in the middle of the night and ask him to sleep with him, but this seemed almost beyond his comprehension. He knew Lelouch as the strong type and had for years, and now he was being introduced to a different side of him; a weaker, more feeble side.

"Bad dream?"

"Yes…"

Suzaku moved one of his hands up to stroke Lelouch's hair. "You don't have to talk to me about it if you don't want to. Just try to go back to sleep, okay? I'm right here."

"Okay…"

* * *

The very next morning, Lelouch woke up to see the other side of his bed empty. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and got up. When he entered the hallways, he felt the odd feeling of vacancy creep up on him, as if nobody was here. If he remembered correctly, today was Saturday, and usually everyone; even the maids, slept in late on weekends, so why did it feel so unoccupied?

For a couple of minutes, Lelouch pretty much searched the whole mansion for everyone until he heard the sound of a TV. He followed it and eventually found majority of the maids, including Kallen, Euphy, Schneizel and Suzaku all in the family room, all huddled around the big television screen and eyeing it intently. It showed an attractive, young Britannian female holding a microphone and talking. Lelouch slowly walked into the room. "What are you guys watching…?"

"Shush, young master," one of the maids said. "This is insane…"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, and then came in a little closer to watch as well.

"…_and it appears that the group of individuals who attempted the rescue was Elevens. At the time of this attempt, three workers had been closing down the business; one male, two females. The attackers had been armed during this and out of the three employees, only one was harmed. They all were found in a supply closet by the time police arrived and are currently being questioned and/or treated. It's been reported that the harmed male will be just fine and that his wound is not fatal-"_

Suzaku hung his head and covered his face. "Oh god…They're talking about Rolo, aren't they…?"

Princess Euphemia, Kallen and some of the other maids got up to comfort him.

The raven-haired boy was still confused about why this was so important until the camera zoomed out from the reporter, showing the background to be the building; N.E.K.O.

Lelouch frowned when he realized Suzaku's position. "I bet Rolo is just fine…"

"Don't stop watching yet," Schneizel said.

Everyone turned their attention back to the screen and Suzaku looked up.

"…_all of the attackers had been captured and identified by police and Britannian soldiers, and all but one is from the ghettos. Nobleman Isaac Raymond's butler, Reiji Suzumoto was identified as that one. Earlier this morning, Mr. Raymond was questioned and he has given us permission to show the footage."_

Everyone was now watching so intently, Lelouch didn't even see them blink.

The screen changed and it now showed Isaac speaking.

"_I actually wasn't aware of his absence until I was woken up by the call from the police station, stating that they had my Eleven in their custody. Reiji was usually someone I could depend on so I decided to go see for myself if he was in his room, and he wasn't…"_ Isaac sighed, bit his lower lip, glanced at the ground and then looked back up at the camera. _"I'm not going to bail him out of this. He got himself into this situation by following the wrong crowd. I refuse to fight for him or defend him. He needs to learn his lesson and nothing I do will teach him that what he did isn't okay. The only one who can fix him up right is Britannia."_

The TV switched back to the reporter, and everyone looked at one another.

After a long 30-second silence, Schneizel abruptly turned around and started for the door. "Kallen, you're in charge. Lelouch, Suzaku, Euphy…get dressed and hurry."

* * *

**AND FIN! XD**

**No. Not fin. Heck, it's one in the morning, on a school night. WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?! I'll make this short. Things are about to start going down guys. GOING DOWN. Be prepared because the next couple of chapters will be: more Isaac *something something something* and Schneizel being *something something something* (don't want to give you too much spoilers) but yeah, better get used to Isaac. xD  
**

**Something is going to happen…..and you guys may rage about it….I'm excited for your raging :P Raging is usually funny x3  
**

**So what did you guys think of this chapter? Tell me. TELL ME. **


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